Accompanied by Musical Monkeys
by Rahainia
Summary: The adventures...and romance...of the Doctor (9 to start, but mainly 10) and Rose set to the music of Arctic Monkeys "AM" release. Some scenes are taken from the series and then built upon. 'T' to start but may be upped to 'M' later.
1. Introduction

Disclaimer – I own neither DW nor the artistic musings of the Arctic Monkeys…at least in this dimension. All that is mine in this particular realm is the idea to blend the two worlds together. In the meantime, I'm going to try to get through each song on their 'AM' album. Wish me luck and I hope you'll stick with me on this journey. :-)

"**Introduction"**

Rose cried. Tears of pain, compassion, empathy and joy trickled down her glowing face as her mind bubbled with the images.

"…The sun and the moon, the day and night…but why do they hurt?"

"The power's gonna kill you and it's my fault!" The Doctor, 9th to be exact, cried out, guilt lining his every word.

"I can see everything…all that is…all that was…all that ever could be." Rose looked at the man she had come to love and somewhere in there, she knew her love for him would be forever, despite the multiple possibilities within the universe.

The Doctor stood up, awed that someone else finally understood things on the same level as his own Timelordish nature did. Quickly though, he remembered that Rose wasn't a Timelord. She hadn't been brought up to appreciate such knowledge in such vast quantities. Understanding and empathy shone in his bright blue eyes. "But that's what *I* see. All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad?"

Rose nodded, silently agreeing that it was overwhelming on so many levels. "My head…" Her voice rose.

"Come here." The Doctor said, his voice filled with the promise of relief.

"…is killing me." Rose's voice trembled with the pain of her human neurons trying to process a universe's worth of knowledge and awareness.

"I think you need a Doctor." His voice dropped a bit as he realized what needed to be done. Granted, he had wanted to do this for some time, as well. It was just a shame that it was under such circumstances. He knew what would more than likely happen as result, but if it meant saving Rose, he was more than willing to give up this existence for newly regenerated one. The question was whether or not Rose would be able to handle it. He hadn't really prepared her for this possibility of travelling with him.

Their lips met softly.

The kiss was everything he had hoped…known…it would be. Rose was his…not just physically…but mentally, and even emotionally – if one was to acknowledge that Timelords had emotions. The gold-colour dust that swirled about in the Time Vortex recognized the Doctor as being more suited to handling its power and slowly ebbed and danced from Rose into the native of Gallifrey.

Despite the Time Vortex's willingness to leave, that didn't stop the Doctor from tightening his hold on Rose. His arms pulled her ever so closer and he delighted at feeling her shift willingly into his body.

Rose's mind was emptying on so my levels. She could feel the power of the Time Vortex leaving her, trailing a mental vacuum along behind, but to feel the Doctor's mouth on her own, to feel his arms wrapped securely around her, to find comfort as his body protectively melded against hers, those sensations were leaving her mind in a complete and utter state of glorious disarray.

Slowly, almost sadly, the two parted and drew back, the last remnants of the Time Vortex swirling from Rose to the Doctor. Traces of what could be lingered in her mind and had left her stunned. She knew she had a future with this man yet not this man. She didn't understand. Her lips tingled from that one kiss, filled with passion, promise and despair. How could a kiss have despair? She didn't understand that either.

It was all quite…overwhelming…and her brain shut down. Slowly, the world around her darkened and she felt her body crumple into something solid. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew the Doctor had caught her. Safe in his arms, once more…and forever.


	2. Do I Wanna Know?

Disclaimer – See 'Introduction'

"**Do I Wanna Know?"**

Song – "Do I Wanna Know" courtesy of Arctic Monkeys

_Have you got colour in your cheeks?  
Do you ever get that fear that you can't shift the type that sticks around like summat in your teeth?  
Are there some aces up your sleeve?  
Have you no idea that you're in deep?  
I've dreamt about you nearly every night this week  
How many secrets can you keep?  
Cause there's this tune I found that makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat  
Until I fall asleep  
Spilling drinks on my settee_

Her final memories of that time with the Doctor…the 9th Doctor…still hadn't fully returned, but pieces had slowly appeared here and there, their edges ragged and blurry.

"You never know what you're gonna end up with." He had tried to warn her.

"It means I'm going to change." He had tried to explain things to her.

"You were fantastic." He had tried to soothe her.

"So was I." He had tried to make her smile.

Despite the obvious discomfort he was in, he…her Doctor…had tried to do everything for her. Not for himself. She loved him for that. Yet neither had spoken the words. Rose didn't understand what he meant that she wouldn't see him again, at least not like that. And he, well, she didn't know what his reasoning was for not explaining things.

The new Doctor wasn't her Doctor. He was…intense. Maddeningly so. There was something about his behaviour that never quite reached his eyes in the same way. He'd act so laissez-faire and careless and even silly at times, but his brown eyes shone with either sarcasm or determination.

Rose had agreed to stay with him. He had said he'd love her to come. But things were still awkward between them. His voice in the TARDIS caused her jump and whirl around at the strangeness of it. The Doctor was probably used to this…regeneration he had called it…but to Rose it was new. All so very new. A man with her Doctor's memories but who was, so very obviously, not **HER** Doctor.

Still, there was something about him that drew her eyes towards him every time they were in the same room together. He exuded an energy that fascinated her. It nearly crackled around him and Rose found herself almost reaching out to touch him each time he passed her as she sat on the jump seat in the control room. Instead, she'd clench her fists tightly and close her eyes, picturing her Doctor in her mind…his bright blue eyes, his goofy smile. And if she tried really hard enough, she could smell his leather jacket. She missed that jacket.

Why hadn't he told her about this part of being a Timelord? How did one grieve for someone who was both dead yet not dead? What else hadn't he told her about being a Timelord?

"Lots o' stuff, I'd wager." She mumbled.

"Whazzat?" The Doctor's head popped out from underneath the TARDIS's console panel where he was fidgeting with stuff.

"Nuthin'." Rose sighed.

"Right then." The Timelord replied lightly, but his eyes were serious. Rose looked up and saw this, confirming her earlier impressions. His behaviour and his feelings weren't always aligned in a manner that was copacetic to her liking.

'Copacetic,' She thought, thinking back to the word-a-day calendar her mum had given her for Christmas. The irony of a calendar on the TARDIS obviously hadn't occurred to Jackie Tyler. 'Very satisfactory.' At least her vocabulary would be improved from the calendar…and maybe, one of these days, she'd even stump the Doctor…not **HER** Doctor…with a word.

"You okay?"

Rose looked up at these words and found the Doctor leaning back against the console in front of her. The man could move with the stealth of a panther. She nodded silently.

"Because you seem rather…pensive."

"I do think sometimes." Rose pulled her legs up into her chest as she glared at the tall man. He was just a tad taller than her Doctor…certainly thinner…and, okay, she had to admit, he did look good in that suit and brown jacket.

"I'm feeling just…fantastic." Rose's choice of wording was deliberate and she could tell by the way the Doctor did NOT react that he knew it. There were some similarities between the Doctors…her Doctors…after all.

Without saying a word, the Doctor left Rose alone. Tears sprung into her eyes as her heart mourned for her loss. She had lost her Doctor. She still dreamt about him but somewhere, somehow, she knew she recognized this new one. And that caused her tears to fall even more freely. He was a stranger…that she knew…who was, yet wasn't her Doctor. The confusion with her emotions caused guilt to wring her heart.

A raggedy memory unfurled in her mind, her Doctor kissing her as her awareness of what was, is and could be drifted from her. But for a snippet…a quick flash of dark hair, dark eyes and a quirky grin. It was him. She had seen him.

It was all very confusing and disconcerting but it had been only a week or so since the Christmas invasion and maybe, just maybe, things would become less confusing over time. And one thing for hanging around with a Timelord, there was usually plenty of time….or none at all.

_(Do I wanna know?)  
If this feeling flows both ways  
(Sad to see you go)  
Was sorta hoping that you'd stay  
(Baby we both know)  
That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day_

"I'm going to bed." Rose said softly.

"Hmmmm…" The Doctor's acknowledgement was either directed at her statement or the chuffing noises coming from the centre column of the TARDIS. She was glowing a horrible shade of yellow and the Doctor was convinced the TARDIS was sick from the Time Flu. Rose had made a joke about the TARDIS sneezing and wiping out all of humanity's Stone Age, but the Doctor hadn't seen in the humour in it.

"I mean, it's not like I'm doin' anything to help out. Just sort of…supervisin'." Rose explained weakly.

"Hmmmm…" Okay, she was convinced that was directed her. An ambivalent agreement…just being polite. Rose hopped off the jump seat and softly climbed the metal stairs. She turned at the platform, only to see the Doctor stand, his hands braced on the console as he stared into the column. Sighing gently, Rose disappeared down the corridor towards her bedroom.

Using the encasement of the TARDIS's centre column, dark eyes watched the reflection of his Companion depart.

"Rose Tyler…what am I going to do with you?" He murmured softly. The TARDIS hummed a response. "Hush now. You're sick and I didn't ask for your opinion, you sickie."

The Doctor paused.

"And how would I do that anyway?" He questioned the TARDIS. "She misses me even though I'm right here. I mean, sure I'm no longer me, but I'm still me. Seems simple enough to me. But you know what these humans are like." His tongue rested on the back of his top teeth with that word, almost presenting a pensive demeanour about him.

"Would have been nice if she had stayed. She was helping by not getting in the way. Now she's gone and not helping at all." It was perfectly sound Doctor logic and made sense to him. Rose probably would have understood if his other self had said it. She really did seem to miss him, even though he was still here.

'I kissed her.' The Doctor thought. He remembered that kiss even if he done so in another body. He could still feel that kiss with lips that weren't his own. He remembered how she had felt in arms that were no longer his and for a brief infinity – which was totally plausible to a Timelord – he wondered how she would feel in these arms that were now his.

The Doctor looked down at his hands. His fingers were longer and thinner, almost artistic in nature and he found them reaching up as if to stroke the face of his Companion who was no longer there. Instead, they made contact with the spot on the column where he had watched the reflection of Rose Tyler walk away.

"I miss her." He said softly. It wasn't just her presence in the room he missed, but he missed the Rose Tyler he had known before he became this Doctor. "I wonder if she'll come back to me."

_Crawling back to you  
Ever thought of calling when you've had a few?  
Cause I always do  
Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new  
Now I've thought it through_

Rose was sitting on the floor at the base of the jump seat when the Doctor entered the main room. He glanced down to see a mug and an open bottle of something distinctly…he sniffed the air delicately…of a wine-ish origin. Well, what could he expect after taking her to a planet whose sole export was beverages of alcoholic natures?

He sat beside her before asking "Mind if I join you?"

"You're here already." Rose's voice was nearly churlish.

"So I am." The Doctor conceded cheerfully. He tried to not respond to the narrowing of Rose's eyes.

"Why do you do that?" She asked, frustration apparent in her tone.

The Doctor pursed his lips in careful thought before responding.

"Which 'that' are you asking about? Because otherwise I could give an answer that would go on for a awfully long time." Brown eyes were wide with mock innocence and took in the even more intense glare from Rose. Apparently, his answer was not quite what she was hoping to hear.

"That!" Rose put her mug of wine down and with her hands, fluttered all about the air in front of the Doctor.

"Interpretive dance?" He asked, puzzled.

"Let's not discuss dancing, please." Rose whispered, pain piercing her heart. Her Doctor had finally remembered how to dance and as smooth as Captain Jack Harkness had been, there was more genuineness with moves displayed by her Doctor.

"So this that of which you speak isn't that which we won't discuss. Got it." The Doctor nodded.

"Right." Rose mirrored the nod as her buzzed brain tried to follow that bit of logic.

"I'm here if you want to talk." The Doctor offered.

"No, you're not." Rose argued.

"You're right. I'm not. But I am."

"Strange how that actually makes some sense to me." Rose confessed.

"I must be starting to rub off on you." The Doctor smiled.

"Or I'm drunk." Rose pointed out. "Everything makes sense when one is drunk."

"Really? I should try that." The Doctor reached for the wine bottle.

"Do Timelords even get drunk?" Rose demanded, her eyes narrowing once more. "Because I'm having a difficult time picturing you putting your arm around bloke saying 'I luv you, man.'"

"Well, it certainly wouldn't be a bloke." The Doctor sniffed. "Maybe an androgynous folk or two, but never a bloke."

Rose watched as the Doctor took a swig from the wine bottle and giggled. Her hands reached up and clamped over her mouth.

"Too late, Rose Tyler." The Doctor grinned. "I distinctly heard what could pass for a sound of amusement."

"Well, you are sittin' here in a suit drinkin' wine straight from the bottle. Not exactly posh."

"I never claimed to be posh." The Doctor pointed out. "Come to think of it, I don't know if I've ever claimed to be anything."

Rose grabbed her mug and drained it. She held it out and watched as the Doctor refilled it for her.

"No, you never did." She admitted softly. "Other than fantastic."

"True." The Doctor took another soft swig. He looked directly at Rose as he swallowed and the young woman found herself fascinated with that process of moving the fermented liquid from his mouth. "But I also said you were…are…fantastic, too. I meant it…still do."

Rose looked up into the Doctor's eyes and felt her own start to well up.

"I miss you." Her voice cracked.

" You know something, Rose…sometimes, I do, too." He admitted as he opened his arms. Rose pushed aside her mug and crawled into the open space. Three hearts started to beat in rhythm as two sighs echoed throughout the one TARDIS.

_Crawling back to you  
So have you got the guts?  
Been wondering if your heart's still open and if so I wanna know what time it shuts  
Simmer down and pucker up  
I'm sorry to interrupt it's just I'm constantly on the cusp of trying to kiss you  
I don't know if you feel the same as I do  
But we could be together if you wanted to_

Exploring and traveling and learning had filled their days and nights with enough stuff to keep either from discussing what needed to be discussed. And it frustrated the TARDIS. At least there was more laughter now and fewer tears or sad glances. But there was still something missing between this new Doctor and her adored Companion. Yet there was something new, too. The TARDIS wanted to frown.

But now there was something new to puzzle her. A message came in that she directed towards the psychic paper in the Doctor's wallet to a planet where cats were healers and the grass smelled of apples.

The Doctor was lying down on his back staring at the clouds with Rose Tyler beside him. She didn't seem quite as relaxed as he, but the tension between had eased over the past few weeks. There was still something missing, he felt, but he couldn't quite put any of his fingers or toes on it.

Come to think of it, whenever he was left to his own devices on the TARDIS, he found himself thinking of that kiss and wondering if Rose did, too. Did she look at him and still feel loss? Did she mourn for him still? Would she consider a kiss from who he was now? Of course, that then led to thoughts of wondering who he was. Things like that still plagued him as he tried to figure out his personality and likes and dislikes. But one thing remained constant on his Liked and Wanted list…Rose Tyler.

Rose smiled as she recalled their first date and the Doctor smiled back. The two shared a laugh before the Doctor resumed his brief dissertation regarding the Earth's history. It was safer territory to discuss the Earth blowing up instead of feelings and sparks and emotions and things. Slowly, the smile left Rose's face as she tried to focus on what the Doctor was saying instead of what he was not saying.

She wasn't sure when it happened but her feelings had slowly changed from missing her Doctor to being frustrated with her Doctor. And at some point, without her even being aware of it, they had both become **HER** Doctor. Rose's gaze drifted back towards city that was apparently called New New York. A small smile reappeared as the Doctor uttered multiple 'News' to accurately convey the city's status.

"What?" He asked her.

"You're so different." She said simply, ignoring the blonde hair blowing in her face.

"New new Doctor." They shared a knowing, yet weak, chuckle.

A little while later, Rose found herself being squashed and squeezed into some far recess of her own mind. To go from the vastness of the Time Vortex in her mind – which she still didn't fully remember – to this cramming sensation was all rather disconcerting and she vowed that Cassandra would not get away with it. Hopefully, the Doctor would know that it wasn't her – but what if he didn't? What if he preferred this personality of Cassandra over her own? Rose mentally growled and felt a bark of laughter echo through her body.

The Doctor looked up from his inspection of intravenous bags of colourful solutions to spot Rose. She must have exerted herself during her meanderings over the hospital and become overheated based on her blouse revealing a bit more than was normal. The Doctor did his best to keep his eyes up but it was difficult. Thankfully, the frames of his glasses provided some blockage of the ample scenery.

He described the disease before them and the cell washing cascade and kept his eyes anywhere but on Rose. Spinning around, he pointed out another patient and tried to explain his need to figure out what was going on in the hospital without showing his need to explore the revealed skin on Rose. Grabbing her arm, he marched them off in search of a terminal.

"What's….what's with the voice?" He asked, frowning as Rose turned to look at him. Keeping his hands in his pockets was safer otherwise he would have pulled her towards him and those questions he had been incessantly asking himself about kissing Rose in this body would have been answered.

Words were coming out of Rose's mouth but they were forgotten as she took a deep breath. For a moment, the Doctor's brown eyes dropped lower before shooting back up to look at Rose. Now he was truly puzzled. Rose didn't sound like Rose. Or act like Rose. But she looked like Rose.

The Doctor tried to make a joke and laughed at his own words. Humour would get them out of this awkward situation, right?

Why was Rose looking at him like that?

"Mmmmm…aren't you just?" She breathed.

Actually, to his ears, it sounded more like a purr, but what did one expect to hear in a hospital full of cat nuns?

Suddenly, Rose launched herself forward and ran her hands through his hair, all while rubbing her body against him. Her mouth fused to his and her tongue explored, he was fairly certainly, each one of his teeth in fine detail. It was all the Doctor could do to just keep up with her body and mouth and hands before she jerked away. He just stared, speechless and dumbfounded, with his hands at his sides as she walked away. It took a second for his ego to kick in.

'Oh. My. God.' Rose fumed from inside her brain. 'You kissed him! That's not how it was supposed to be!'

Cassandra silently mocked Rose and later accused her of wanting the Doctor.

Rose blinked her non-existent eyes. As much as she loathed Cassandra, the parchment diva was right. At some point in her time with this new Doctor, she had realized that while different, it was the same man and her feelings for him were quite intense as before. Traces of guilt over such feelings had slowly been replaced with acceptance. And now the Doctor would know.

They watched Cassandra cradle herself-in-another-body before silently returning to the TARDIS.

"Soooo…." The Doctor shoved his hands back into his pockets and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Sooo…" Rose echoed. "About that kiss…."

"Which one?" The Doctor asked.

"Which…oh." Rose blinked her now existent eyes. "Oh!"

"Yeah. Oh." The Doctor's lips enunciated the two syllables very precisely.

"Well, which one would you like to…" Rose let the question trail off.

"Discuss? Extol upon? Repeat?" The Doctor offered up a few suggestions, his eyebrows rising with each one. "I do like having options. Don't you?"

Rose found her breathing had increased.

"We could…uh….pretend it didn't happen." She said weakly. "I mean, it would complicate this…things…us…"

The Doctor watched carefully as Rose's hands fluttered again in the empty air between them. He didn't like all that air between them. That meant they were too far apart. And if there was one thing he had learned in this body and his previous one it was that he rather fancied having Rose Tyler's body up against his. It wasn't a Timelordy thing to feel but there was something about Rose Tyler that made everything in the universe seem so blessedly simple.

"Well now…I don't know about that." The Doctor confessed. "I think it would simplify things quite nicely. You plus me equals infinite possibilities. Not exactly the math I learned when I was a wee lad, but I think it balances out neatly."

He took a step towards Rose and watched as she trembled. Something in him knew she wanted him but another part said that she wasn't quite ready. It was one thing to accept him as the Doctor now, but it was quite something else to go from loving one to loving another. The people of Gallifrey could keep up with the regeneration process, but she was a human.

"But maybe that's enough math homework for one night." He said softly, stilling his body about a foot away from Rose's. He could feel her body heat, smell her hair and watch as she bit her lower lip in confusion. A groan coursed through him but he held it in check. Rose would be his someday…and some night, too…but not right now.

"Come on." He reached out and took her hand. "Tea. I'll make us some tea."

_(Do I wanna know?)  
If this feeling flows both ways  
(Sad to see you go)  
Was sorta hoping that you'd stay  
(Baby we both know)  
That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day_

"Promise me something." Rose said softly from her perch on the jump seat. The Doctor tinkered with some of the wiring beneath the console. He'd been doing a lot of tinkering of late.

"What would you like me to promise?" He asked, thankful that Rose could not see the still of his hands as he waited to hear her wish.

"Promise me that you'll say goodbye to me…that you won't just leave me like you did Sarah Jane."

The Doctor closed his eyes and felt his grip tighten on his sonic screwdriver. Thankfully, Mickey was off exploring the TARDIS, leaving the two of them alone. He never knew the TARDIS could feel crowded until Mickey had joined them. Suddenly, it was as if there was no privacy anymore and he and Rose could no longer share those little moments that he held so dear.

"Shouldn't you be asleep or something? It's getting late." The Doctor replied, trying to change the topic. He heard Rose lightly jump out of the seat and presumed she was, for once, listening to him. Angling his head and saw instead that Rose was standing beside the length of his body extending out from beneath the console.

He gulped as she stepped one foot over his body and crouched down so that she could view his head hidden by the panel.

"Nice attempt at deflection, Doctor."

"I thought so." He muttered. "Shame it didn't work."

"Really? A shame?" Rose licked her lips. "Because I'm feeling anything but shameful right now."

The Doctor's eyes widened and suddenly his grip on the sonic screwdriver fumbled.

"Actually, I'm rather feeling that I need to make the most of my time with you because who knows when that time might run out. You might just leave me. Never say good bye even. Be nice to have some fond memories to carry into my old age."

"So becoming a Lady from Queen Victoria isn't memory enough?" He managed to gasp out. "Or being subsequently banished? Because I find banishment quite memorable."

Rose leaned down even more, stretching her legs out alongside the Doctor's and joining his head under the console panel of the TARDIS.

"Isn't this cozy?" She asked.

"Quite right." He gulped and subsequently winced as he dropped his sonic screwdriver.

Bracing herself on one arm, Rose took her free hand and ran it along the Doctor's side feeling for the…uhhh…sonic screwdriver. At least, he hoped that that was what she was looking for…didn't he?

'Liar.' His brain mocked him.

"Ah ha…found what I was looking for." Rose grinned playfully and she shifted her body ever so slightly in just the right now.

"My sonic screwdriver?" He asked weakly.

"That, too." His Companion winked.

"Oi! I leave you two along for a few hours an' this is what I come back to?!" Mickey's voice rang out.

The Doctor put a hand on Rose's waist to help her up but found instead his hand tightening around her. She exhaled quickly, wordlessly acknowledging the sensation before shifting and sliding out from under the console.

The Doctor willed his body to not respond and failed miserably. Thankfully, Mickey was on the other side of the console and there was paneling to hide the Doctor's reaction.

"We were…ahhh…" The Doctor for once was fumbling around words.

"Checking the connections." Rose smiled innocently. "Seems like there's a solid connection now, Doctor. Nighty night."

Brown eyes blinked in surprise as Rose left the main room before swinging back to see Mickey's own dark eyes glaring at him.

"You hurt her mate, and so help me…"

"Quite right." The Doctor acknowledged the implied threat.

_Crawling back to you  
Ever thought of calling when you've had a few? (calling when you've had a few)  
'Cause I always do ('cause I always do)  
Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new  
Now I've thought it through_

Mickey watched the relationship between the Doctor and his Rose as it grew. And while it was good to see her happy, the young man wished she would light up when he entered the room like she did whenever the Doctor approached.

He had tried to date other girls when Rose had first ventured off with the other Doctor. But that just wasn't helping. The more he dated others, the more he realized that he wanted Rose. And if she had to choose between him, a Mister Nobody from Nowhere Street, and a Doctor-bleedin'-Timelord, it was obvious who the winner would be.

Mickey realized though over time that the Doctor wasn't infallible and that he actually did need Rose. It was a fascinating realization. As much as Rose needed him to remind her that there was so much more to life than her little flat shared with Jackie, the Doctor needed Rose to remind him that sometimes the little things were just as important as the grandiose. And the Doctor did like himself some grandiose stuff.

But getting back to Rose…it was difficult to look at other women when Rose Tyler came into your life. He had hoped that adventures with the Doctor would help him forget his feelings for Rose…forgetting that he'd actually be travelling with the person he was trying so desperately fall out of love with.

When did life become so complicated?

Oh.

Right.

When mannequins tried to kill Rose.

With fondness, Mickey recalled the good ol' days before mannequins became murderers and his love for Rose went both unrequited and unchallenged.

_Crawling back to you  
(Do I wanna know?)  
If this feeling flows both ways  
(Sad to see you go)  
Was sorta hoping that you'd stay  
(Baby we both know)_

_That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day_

She found him in the remotest of remote crawl spaces deep within the remoteness of the TARDIS. Apparently it wasn't remote enough, Rose realized, considering she had actually found him…somehow.

"Whatcha doin' here, Doctor?" She asked quietly, lest her voice ricochet around the metal panels and ladders and stuff that seemed to populate this particular area of the TARDIS. In fact, if Rose had to guess, this was merely a storage area for metal planks and ladders and poles and served no other purpose to store said items in a bizarre labyrinth of a pattern.

"Hiding." He shrugged. "The TARDIS seems…crowded now."

"Oh." Rose stopped her forward crawl and looked down sadly. "You can take us back home at any time, you know."

"Kind of you to offer." The Doctor replied glumly. "But do you want to go?"

"Only if you want me to." Rose replied, trying to keep her heart from shattering.

"So you do."

"Because you do."

"Are we arguing?"

"Wha?" Rose blinked.

"It feels like we're arguing. I don't think I like arguing. It's so very argumentative."

"That's why they're called arguments."

"So we are."

"I didn't think we were." Rose frowned. "What's going on, Doctor?"

He sighed. "Oh, loads of stuff, actually. There's a star about to go supernova over there" He pointed off in on direction.

"Civil war is breaking out on the third planet in that direction." His other hand pointed off elsewhere.

"I meant here, Doctor. What's going on here?"

The Doctor sighed again.

"Well, that's just it…you see, I don't know what's going on. I mean, I know there's stuff going on but I don't know what exactly it is…yet. I have a clue. Well, actually it's more of an idea. Really, it's a theory."

"Shouldn't theories be tested out?" Rose asked, interrupting the Doctor's little speech.

"Quite right." The Doctor frowned. "But that's another problem. There's a few ways to test this theory out and I'm not sure which one is best."

Rose crawled over to the Doctor finally and shifted so that she was sitting beside him, feet hanging over the edge as she rested her arms on a horizontal bar. Their elbows brushed against each other and stayed connected.

"Sometimes, it's best to start off simple first. I mean, if you go for the big, complicated one first, then you have all these variable to consider, right? Simple to start and then work your way up. And maybe, just maybe, you'll prove your theory along the way."

Silence descended on the two for a few moments before the Doctor looked at Rose and beamed.

"Rose Tyler, you are a genius. A verifiable, certifiable, undeniable genius!"

"Well, I have my moments." She grinned. "So, can I help with this test of your theory?"

Rose's eyes widened at the Doctor's smile…suddenly she realized she was the focus of said theory and she wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

_(Do I wanna know?)  
Too busy being yours to fall  
(Sad to see you go)  
Ever thought of calling darling?  
(Do I wanna know)  
Do you want me crawling back to you?_

The TARDIS was no longer crowded. Mickey was gone and with him a bit of Rose had left, as well. The Doctor knew that Rose loved Mickey…not in the way that the young man had hoped for, but in a way that was well and truly Rose. She had left so much back in that alternate London and yet she had come back with the Doctor.

There was really no need to test that theory of his. Her decision proved it for him.

Walking over to the jump seat where Rose sat, legs draped over the edge and hands firmly clutching the seat, the Doctor reached out and stroked her hair. Wordlessly, Rose closed her tear-filled eyes and leaned into his touch.

So much grief had come to this woman since she had met him and yet, the Doctor realized, she continued to come back to him. No matter the obstacle or the danger or the resulting broken heart…she returned to him.

He recalled an Earth phrase about letting something go. If it returned, it was yours. If it didn't return, it never was. Rose always came back, even when he had sent her away in an effort to protect her. She came back for him, nearly killing herself in the process.

She gave up a chance to live with her parallel universe father to be with him.

She gave up her chance to have Mickey to be with him.

She gave up so much to be with him. And what did he have to offer in return? More danger that would require her to give more. It hardly seemed fair to him.

His hand stilled in her hair while his other hand reached down and cupped her chin. Slowly, he raised her face so that she was looking up at him. His dark eyes shone with compassion and appreciation and admiration and, he allowed, a bit of something that might have been called love.

"Rose Tyler." He said, his voice a little unsteady. "You *are* fantastic."

Her eyes widened at the choice of wording.

"You're not about to die on me, are you?" Dismay filled her voice.

"Oh, darling, I have no intention of leaving you."

"That's good, because right now, I think I've had enough people leaving me."

Straddling Rose's dangling legs, the Doctor leaned forward and pulled Rose into his arms. He hugged her, he well and truly hugged her, and he enjoyed how she felt in his arms, even as he knew now was not an appropriate time for such thoughts.

Feeling Rose snuggle into his chest, the Doctor smiled and brushed a kiss along the top of her hair, breathing in her scent. She really did smell nice, he realized, before pushing away yet another inappropriate thought.

A frown appeared followed by a small mental grin. He had never had so many inappropriate thoughts until Rose Tyler had come into his life…lives, actually. Somewhere in there was a greeting card waiting to be written.

"You asked me once to promise you something…" He started to say. Rose shifted in his embrace, but did not pull back.

"Yeah. I did. I asked you to promise me that you'd say goodbye."

"I don't want to make that promise, Rose." He said abruptly, as if spending too much thinking about that realization would cause him to emotionally shut down. "I don't want to say goodbye…to you…ever."

Rose's arms snaked around his waist and the Doctor felt Rose changing her position. Her legs moved so that he was now nestled between them, leaning against her and the edge of the seat. The Doctor realized that she was still wearing her maid's uniform and tall leather boots and that made him aware of a few other things, too.

But right now, Rose needed to be held, not…ravished…especially on a jump seat that had silver tape holding it together. The Doctor wasn't even sure he remembered how to ravish or seduce. He recalled the mechanics of it all, but the more subtle aspects of which Rose was so deserving appeared to have deserted him for the time being.

"I don't want to say goodbye to you ever, either, Doctor." Rose tightened her grip on **HER** Doctor.


	3. R U Mine?

"**R U Mine?"**

_I'm a puppet on a string_

_Tracey Island, time-traveling diamond_

_Coulda shaped heartaches_

_Come to find ya fall in some velvet morning_

_Years too late_

_She's a silver lining lone ranger riding_

_Through an open space_

_In my mind when she's not right there beside me_

The Doctor sensed a wave of annoyance coming from the TARDIS and bit back a grin.

"Yes, yes, old girl, I know." He rested one hand on the centre column while the other affectionately petted the console panel. "I think that constitutes eccentric ramblings even by my rather peculiar standards."

"Not sure I know where to start with that confession." Rose said cheekily, her mouth open in a wide grin. She carried two cups of tea and handed one to the Doctor, an unspoken question in her dark eyes.

"The middle could prove to be interesting." The Doctor returned the grin as he happily accepted the cup. "Although, then you'll need to decide which direction you want to go in and that could be problematic."

"Let's just leave it then, shall we?" The young woman sighed in mock frustration. "Care to talk about what this 'particular rambling', as you called it, was all about?"

"Uhhh…no." The tall man admitted. "It's more of a Time Lord…TARDIS…thing."

"Oh, well, gee, I wouldn't want to get involved in a thing." Rose rolled her eyes before taking a sip of her hot beverage. "Not sure I could handle the adventure."

The Doctor's mouth twitched as he fought back a grin. Quickly regaining his composure, he inhaled sharply through his teeth.

"Yes, adventure. Horribly wretched things, those adventures. We wouldn't want you to have any dealings with them."

"Right." Rose nodded in mock agreement. "So where to next, then?"

"Actually, I was thinking some place quiet."

"I think I've heard you say that before." Rose's sarcasm was obvious.

"Good point." The Doctor conceded. "Maybe we should stay in tonight…and the next few nights."

Rose stared at the Doctor over the rim of her cup, her eyes puzzled at such a statement. Usually, the Doctor was up for exploring or discovering or learning or just moving. The idea of staying in the TARDIS for one night – or more than one – was very un-Doctor-like.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Never better." The Doctor's happy tone covered up his lie. Honestly, the idea of spending time in the TARDIS with Rose was both torturous and appealing. "You know me, always never better."

"Riiiight." Rose drawled, her agreement even more mocking than before. "What's going on in that Time Lord-ish head of yours?"

"Oh, this, that, things, stuff. Rather hard to pinpoint it exactly."

Rose dubbed such as statement as _Gallifrey Evasion Tactic 1_ – answering a question with a non-answer.

"Like a hamster on a wheel?"

"'Spose so." The Doctor looked thoughtful, as if giving the metaphor due consideration. "Yeah, rather rodent-esque at the moment."

_Gallifrey Evasion Tactic 2_ – Gibberish speak in an attempt to deflect the topic onto something distractingly inane.

Rose's tongue lightly touched her top lip.

"You've been doin' a lot of thinking lately. Why's that?"

"Ah, well…why does anyone think?" The Doctor queried.

_Gallifrey Evasion Tactic 3_ – Answer a question with a question.

The Doctor's dark eyes watched as Rose gave up – for the moment – and left the main room. He knew that she wasn't satisfied with how he had responded, but he also knew that if had answered truthfully, she would have been even more unsatisfied. After all, how was he supposed to explain that he was thinking about Rose and all the things he couldn't do with her?

The TARDIS gave him a mental slap.

"Hey!" The Doctor glared at empty space. "No need for that!"

The pulsing sound of the TARDIS increased slightly in volume, the vessel expressing her displeasure at the whole situation.

"Oh, please. You know what my lives have been like. It wouldn't be fair to her. She's already lost one of me and had to get used to another me. Not right to put her through more of that…or more of me."

"Ahem."

The Doctor whirled around at the sound of Rose clearing her throat.

"Two things, Doctor." Rose had a look on her face that the Time Lord could only describe as 'affronted'. "One, if you don't want people to hear your thoughts, you shouldn't say them out loud for everyone to hear."

"Good point." The Doctor said slowly. He reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "And…ummm….the other?"

"Maybe you should let me decide what I want to go through…or not go through. I'm a big girl."

"And in all the right places, I might add." The Doctor's eyes widened momentarily. "I should have probably kept that inside my head, right?"

"Depends." Rose shrugged. "If you're calling me fat, then yes. If you're calling me curvy, then thank you."

"Definitely that last one." The Doctor replied quickly.

"Good." Rose whirled and left the Doctor alone again.

Slowly, the Doctor exhaled, his eyes not leaving the spot where Rose had just stood. He pursed his mouth in contemplation. He suddenly felt alone, knowing that Rose wasn't there.

_I go crazy 'cause here isn't where I wanna be_

_And satisfaction feels like a distant memory_

_And I can't help myself,_

_All I wanna hear her say is "Are you mine?"_

_Are you mine?_

_Are you mine?_

_Are you mine?_

He fought against his instincts to follow Rose. The TARDIS console area felt very large and empty without her blondness and pinkness fluttering about in the periphery of his vision. The Doctor knew he had no right to ask a certain question of Rose even though he knew how he would answer if she asked it of him.

Yes. Yes, he was her's…HER Doctor. Then and now and…to be, if that was what she wanted. But how did one ask a question without actually asking it? Because what if he asked it of her and she said no? He didn't think he could handle that.

Eyes dark and serious, the Doctor left the control area and started to wander around the TARDIS, no destination in mind for once. Normally, he knew where he was going…or where he wasn't going. Right now, however, he knew neither. Or was it he knew nothing?

When it came to Rose, the Doctor realized he knew very little of the important stuff. He knew she loved chips and her family and adventure…not necessarily in that order. He knew she had a great sense of humour and a desire to learn. He knew she was compassionate and caring and stubborn and a fighter.

But he didn't know the answer to the most important question even as he was unsure if he wanted to know.

What if she said yes? Then what?

What kind of life could he promise her? She would age and he would not…unless he regenerated into an older looking body.

She was Human…he was not. And the idea of children…together…was difficult to fathom. Holidays would be tricky.

He reached up and scratched his head. And what side of the bed would she want? Did she snore? She probably snored quite prettily in a manner that was distinctly Rose, but she'd deny it one hundred and forty-three point six eight percent.

Standing in some indistinct corridor of the TARDIS, the Doctor placed his hands on his hips and surveyed the walls.

A woman's touch might add a splash of colour to the place, he reflected, but he rather fancied the bachelor-wanderer look. Still, maybe some pink and frilly stuff lying about would be nice. A throw pillow or two out in the console area. Inhaling sharply and angling his head up slightly, the Doctor confidently decreed that he wouldn't ask Rose that particular question…but if she tossed in a soft blanket or started nesting in the TARDIS maybe she'd give him a silent answer to the unspoken query.

_I guess what I'm trying to say is I need the deep end_

_Keeping imagining meeting, wished away entire lifetimes_

_Unfair we're not somewhere misbehaving for days_

_Great escape lost track of time and space_

_She's a silver lining climbing on my desire_

"A wha?" Rose blinked at the Doctor.

"A blanket. Or a pillow. Something pinkish…or yellow…like you." The Doctor said. "Just sayin', if you wanted, you could bring a blanket or a pillow in here or around the TARDIS."

Rose frowned deeply, truly confused.

"You want me to bring a blanket or a pillow into here? Are we having a sleepover? Bit old for that, aren't we?"

"Well, I know I am." The Doctor admitted. "But I was thinking you could decorate in here…a woman's touch and all that."

"You want me to decorate the TARDIS?!" The Doctor watched as Rose's frown deepened. "Isn't she capable of decorating herself?"

"Yeeeeeeah." The Doctor rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. "But I don't think she'd mind if you…"

"Went all domestic?" Rose asked, eyes wide in shock. "What's brought this on?"

Hands deep in his pockets, the Doctor looked around the room. He could easily see spending his forever in here with Rose, but it needed a bit of Rose lying about when she wasn't here. How was he supposed to say that?

"Welllll…"

"I mean, let's think about this, Doctor." Rose spread her hands around console area. "What if we have guests? I mean, this is the room they walk into. It's impressive and technical and imposin'. And you want me to throw in a pillow or a blanket."

"You never know…a woman's touch could help with interstellar diplomatic relations." The Doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Might be more inviting than a potted plant. Besides, a plant needs water and I'd probably forget all that. A throw pillow doesn't require watering…usually."

"Usually…" Rose repeated slowly.

"Usually." The Doctor nodded. "Unless they're from this little planet in that Platchy system. Dry little place with traditions that require they water everything…trees, flowers, pots, pans, throw pillows."

"Doctor…" Rose tried to bring the man back to the TARDIS. "Why do you really want me to…ummm….decorate?"

The Time Lord's head bobbed up and down slightly as he mulled over what to say.

"Welllll…I think better when you're around and you need more sleep than I, so I thought that if there was stuff of yours around, maybe I would think better."

"By curling up with a blankie?"

"When you put it like that…"

"Doctor, how long have we travelled together?" Rose asked.

"For a bit now." The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "We've seen quite a bit, too."

"A bit. Well, that's specific. Lost track of time, have you?" A smirk appeared on Rose's face.

The Doctor blinked slowly as his mine processed Rose's question.

"It appears I have." He frowned thoughtfully before a grin appeared. In a few short strides, he crossed over to Rose and grabbed her hands within his own. "Well, what do you know? A Time Lord lost track of time. You, Rose Tyler, made me lose track of time!"

"Yeah, and after all of this 'a bit' that we've been together, by now I know that there's something you're not tellin' me."

"Of course there's something I'm not telling you. There's lots of things of I don't tell you. Do you tell me every thought that occurs to you?"

"Be thankful that I don't." Rose shot back.

The Doctor jerked upright and looked surprised.

"Why, Rose Tyler, are you telling me that you don't always think pleasant thoughts about me?"

"I didn't say that, Doctor." Rose grinned playfully. "But some of my thoughts just might make you blush."

"Really!" The Doctor gushed, pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah. Probably safer that we don't have pillows and blankets in here. Some of my thoughts might turn into reality."

The Doctor's mouth dropped open and for once he was rendered speechless.

_And I go crazy 'cause here isn't where I wanna be_

_And satisfaction feels like a distant memory_

_And I can't help myself,_

_All I wanna hear her say is "Are you mine?"_

_Well, are you mine? (Are you mine tomorrow?)_

_Are you mine? (Or just mine tonight?)_

_Are you mine? (Are you mine? Mine?)_

Images of faces of other Companions flashed through the Doctor's mind. He had adored them all in some way, shape or form. Some were good friends. Some were good allies. Some were good company.

Rose.

A Time Lord's life was long and, in his case, lonely. Travelling alone could become quite solitary, left to one's own thoughts.

Rose.

Here and there he had met people. Some stayed longer than others. But he usually looked back on his Companions and smiled at the memories.

Rose.

He had been sad to see the other Companions leave, there was no point in denying that. The loss of some had left larger voids than others. But Rose…the idea of a life in space and time without Rose…just boggled his mind. The idea of not hearing here voice, seeing her smile, smelling her hair, holding her hand…the Doctor leaned against the centre panel thoughtfully.

It wasn't proper for a Time Lord to become attached to anything in such a sentimental manner, especially a mere human, but there was something about Rose that resonated within him. And resonation was very important to a Time Lord.

"Does she feel that same resonation?" He whispered to the empty space around him. The TARDIS hummed in response. "Cause resonation is really, really important. I like resonation. I think she'd like resonation, too."

The Doctor looked down an empty corridor thoughtfully.

"I know I'd like it if she liked it, too."

_And the thrill of the chase moves in mysterious ways_

_So in case I'm mistaken_

_I just wanna hear you say you got me baby_

_Are you mine?_

"Rose!" The Doctor shouted down the corridors of the TARDIS. "Rose Tyler! Where are you?"

There was no answer. Not that he expected one. Rose had left a note that she was off exploring the TARDIS, something she hadn't done much of lately. There were still odds and ends and rooms and cupboards she had yet to discover.

Most of it was safe and the TARDIS would not let harm come to Rose, but some stuff was outside of the control of the TARDIS and Rose was the curious sort.

He shuddered to think what would happen if she found that ball of elastic bands he had worked on several lives ago. One snapped band and the impact on this part of the galaxy would be devastating. Or what if she found that tapestry with the loose thread and then pulled on said loose thread. Oh dear, a whole planet could end up de-evolving.

"Rose!" He called out again, wincing at the hint of desperation in his tone.

"You bellowed?"

The Doctor whirled around and saw Rose leaning up against the wall.

"Oh, thank you!" He exhaled sharply and nearly jumped on Rose, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly.

"Mmph?" Rose squirmed within his grasp.

"Hmm?" The Doctor loosed his grip slightly but did not let Rose out of his embrace.

"What's with the yelling and the panic?"

"I was not in a panic." He sounded offended.

"Uh huh. So the yelling?"

"Just wanted to make sure you heard me. Yup. Volume is usually good to ensure one is heard."

"And the never-endin' hug?" Rose leaned into the Doctor. "Not that I'm against hugging, especially the never-endin' type."

"Oh really?" The Doctor pulled up a bit and looked down at Rose, his eyebrows raised. "So, anyone giving you a never-ending hug will do?"

Rose bit her lower lip.

"Well, not really. I mean, I'm not just going to accept a hug from anyone." She paused. "I have standards."

"Indeed." The Doctor's mouth twitched up in a smile. "And what might those standards include?"

"You'd be surprised at how difficult it is for a man to meet them. I mean, not very many men out there have a blue Police box that can fly through time and space."

"So, it's all about his car then?" The Doctor grinned.

"Shallow of me, isn't it?" Rose's eyes blinked with feigned innocence.

"Horribly so." The Doctor deadpanned. "I don't think I'll ever look at you in quite the same way, Rose Tyler."

Rose leaned into the Doctor's chest and smiled as his arms tightened around her once more.

"So glad to hear that, Doctor."

There was quiet in the corridor for a few moments before the Doctor asked, "By the way, Rose, you didn't happen to find an elastic band ball while you were exploring, did you? I seem to have misplaced it."

_She's a silver lining lone ranger riding through an open space_

_In my mind when she's not right there beside me_

_And I go crazy cause here isn't where I wanna be_

Idly, the Doctor tapped his sonic screwdriver against the palm of a hand. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"What's up, Doc?" Rose asked.

"Please don't ever call me that. Ever. Again." The Doctor closed his eyes at the nickname.

"Be thankful I didn't ask it with a carrot in my hand."

The Earth reference went over the Doctor's head.

"I can't think in here." The Doctor almost snarled.

Whirling about, he ran up the stairs and grabbed Rose's hand. Nearly dragging the young woman down a corridor, he pushed the occasional door in and followed it with a mutter of "Nope. Not it."

After several occurrences of the negative search, Rose stumbled out "What's not it?"

"I'm not sure. But I'll know it when I find it."

"I daresay you will."

The Doctor pushed open another door and excitedly proclaimed, "Ah ha! Found you, you lovely room, you."

Rose, her hand still tightly gripped by the Doctor, stood behind him and peered over the man's shoulder. Her eyes widened at the sight as her brain tried to process what lay before them. Slowly, the two entered the room. Rose's head whirled about her, left and right and left and right and up and down. Yikes! Bad day to wear a skirt! Although, the Doctor didn't seem to have noticed the issue with her clothing selection. … … … Yet.

"How many…" Her voice trailed off.

"I don't know." Breathed the Doctor. "I've never actually stopped in here long enough to count. But there's a lot, I know that much. A lot should be a number, don't you agree?"

Silently, Rose nodded.

"It's certainly quite…"

"Yes. Isn't it just?" The Doctor grinned.

"And we're here because…"

"Have you noticed that you're not finishing your sentences?" The Doctor peered carefully at Rose and placed a hand on her forehead. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh, perfectly fine, considering we're in the fun house of the TARDIS?"

"Fun house?" The Doctor frowned.

"You know, that place at a fair with all them mirrors that make you look fat or thin or tall or short."

"Nothing disfiguring about these mirrors, Rose Tyler." The Doctor sniffed. "Perfectly normal, they are."

Rose chose not to remark on how nothing on the TARDIS could truly be described at normal, perfect or otherwise. She looked around again.

"But a room full of mirrors, Doctor? Why are we here?"

"Well now, I have a Problem…with a capital P." Rose watched as the Doctor's mouth carefully enunciated those last few words. "And since I do seem to think better when you are around, I thought maybe a room with a bunch of you around would amplify that effect."

"You could just tell me what your Problem with a capital P is. And maybe I could help."

"Oh no. I need to figure this out on my own. Just with a little silent help from you…well, all of you, actually." His hands gestured at the many reflections of Rose.

"So you want me to just stand here and be silent?" Rose scowled.

The Doctor looked down at the floor, somewhat abashed, and then shot his head back up.

"You're wearing a skirt!" He breathed, awed.

"Yup." Rose nodded and then looked down again. Mirrors everywhere…even the floor.

"You….umm…do like pink, don't you?" The Doctor grinned knowingly.

Rose's eyes widened as she realized what the Doctor was talking about. Reflections of her underwear. Wonderful.

"Honestly, Doctor. I'll be silent if you'll choose to not remark on my knickers."

"You don't hear that kind of bargain every day." The Doctor pointed out.

"I should hope not!" Rose sniffed. "If you did, I'd be very concerned about the people you were hanging around with."

"Oh, Rose Tyler, for what it's worth, you are the only person I want to make bargains about knickers with."

_And satisfaction feels like a distant memory_

_And I can't help myself_

_All I wanna hear her say is "Are you mine?"_

_Well, are you mine? (Are you mine tomorrow?)_

_Are you mine? (Or just mine tonight?)_

_Are you mine? (Are you mine tomorrow, or just mine tonight?)_

"Rose, am I your Doctor?" The words slipped out as the two sat on the jump seat. Maybe that room of mirrors had helped, after all.

"Of course." Rose replied without missing a beat.

"Even though I'm not the Doctor that you first met?"

Rose reached over and, without looking, found the Doctor's hand, interlacing their fingers.

"I had a tough time understanding what happened…happens…to you. But I understand now. You're still you…at the core. And that's all that matters. You were my Doctor then. You're my Doctor now."

"And will I be your Doctor in the 'to be'?"

Fragments of memories danced across Rose's mind.

"Only you can answer that, I suppose, when the 'to be' happens." Rose said softly. "What I saw was just possibilities. You, of all people, know that things can change."

"And what are you?"

"Whaddyou mean?" Rose fought the urge to look at the Doctor. Right now, this conversation appeared to be happening without making eye contact. Maybe he found it easier that way.

"Well, if I was your Doctor…and am your Doctor…and will be your Doctor. What are you to me?"

Rose shifted in her seat. She gnawed on her lower lip and looked pensive, at least in the corner of the Doctor's eye.

"I've said you're my Doctor, Doctor. You need to determine what I am to you."

"But I've agreed that I'm your Doctor. I like being your Doctor. But I thank you for not putting a collar with tags around my neck indicating that I'm your Doctor."

Rose giggled.

"Doctor. If found, please return to the blue TARDIS or call…"

"Exactly." The Doctor cut Rose off before she could continue further with the insulting image.

"So, I need to figure out what you are to me and then run it past you to see if you like it or agree?" The Doctor prompted.

"Sounds about right."

"And if you don't like it?" The Doctor asked, truly puzzled.

Rose shrugged.

"I'm a Time Lord, Rose Tyler…not a Woman Lord. I understand Time, not females."

"Tell me something I don't already know." Rose grumbled lightly. "I'll give you a hint, though."

The Doctor turned to look at Rose, hope and relief etched over his face.

"Don't make it insulting. I mean, if you say I'm your cow…that's not going to go over very well."

"But I like cows." The Doctor protested.

Rose shook her head. "I'm not your cow, Doctor. Trust me on this."


	4. One for the Road

_Disclaimer : Head on back to the Introduction for that, please. :-)_

"**One For the Road"**

_One for the road  
One for the road  
From the bottom of your heart  
The relegation zone  
I saw this coming from the start  
The shake rattle and roll  
_

Ego aside, the Doctor had known it was inevitable. Two beings did not travel about space and time, encountering aliens and overcoming danger, without forming some form of bond. Even a Time Lord was not immune to such psychological outcomes. He knew it would happen. It always did. That's why he was always sad when a Companion left.

He also knew that the Companions felt similarly towards him. And, in some cases, it had grown into something more than friendship…on their end. The Doctor just felt it was safer to not forge a connection more intimate that friendship, because anything could happen and he did not want his Companion to be hurt. Nor did he wish to be hurt himself. Self-protection was a strength of his…although, one or two Companions might have called it a character flaw.

Despite what seemed like a rather spontaneous selection, the Doctor's mind was quick to assess a newly-met potential Companion and he seldom erred in his judgment. His bond with Rose had formed quickly and, despite the hiccough of his most recent regeneration, it had reaffirmed itself and, he acknowledged, it had actually become stronger.

And not just on her end.

He had always known something like this COULD happen, but he was never certain that it WOULD, let alone SHOULD.

'Lots of oulds in there.' He mused to himself, trying to flex his arms. Looking up he confirmed that his hands were still bound together and firmly affixed to a chain that hung from the ceiling. 'I probably should be thinking about how to get out of here instead of the do's and don't's of my feelings.'

Tugging harder on the chains, the Doctor pursed his lips together and wondered how long it would take Rose to figure out that he wasn't coming back without some assistance from her. It didn't need to be a lot of assistance. Just maybe a simple break and enter and maybe find his sonic screwdriver and maybe release him and maybe plan an escape. Nothing major at all.

The idea of seeing Rose Tyler coming to his rescue made him grin. Not the actual rescue part but the look of delight and glee on her face at (a) seeing him and (b) being the one to actually do the rescuing for once. She'd never let him live it down and the Doctor found himself rather okay with that.

He sighed heavily. Once again, he was thinking about Rose instead of trying to figure out how to get out of here on his own. A sure sign of a Gallfreyan in love if ever there was one. Total and complete distraction. Just the other day, he realized they had passed through thirteen galaxies all while the TARDIS had flashed the "low biscuits" indicator. Thirteen! He never would have done that with any of the previous Companions.

"So, come here often?"

The Doctor's head shot up at the familiar voice.

"First time, actually." He confessed. "But I do love what they've done with the place and I'm thinking maybe we should come back for a few weeks in the summer."

"Nah." Rose shook her head as she picked the lock to the cell where the Doctor hung in his chains. "I hear they increase the prices around then. Off-peak is definitely the time to come back. Cheaper and fewer people to bother us."

_The cracks in black out blinds  
Cast patterns on the ceiling  
But you're feeling fine  
I thought it was dark outside  
I thought it was dark outside  
_

"Good point." The Doctor conceded as Rose slowly opened the door. She winced slightly at the squeak before looking behind her to make sure no guards were around. "By the way, you're late."

"I'm late." Rose repeated slowly. "You're lucky I didn't stand you up."

"You don't know how to operate the TARDIS."

"I'm debating if you can considering you passed thirteen…"

"Hush now." The Doctor interrupted. "A little less talk-y…a little more rescue-y. I don't suppose they left my sonic screwdriver in my shoe.

"Why would you put it there?"

"Most people don't exam shoes. They frisked me…hung me up like an ornament…and went off for lunch, I presume."

"Doctor, it's night. You've been here longer than just a few hours."

"Really?!" Dark eyes widened in astonishment. "Then you're really late!"

Sighing, Rose knelt down and ran her fingers down the insides of the Doctor's shoes.

"Hey! That tickles!" He chuckled softly, squirming from his captive position.

Rose looked up from the ground and grinned.

"You know, Doctor, any other time…any other place…and this could prove to be quite entertaining."

The Time Lord gulped visibly.

"Now, Rose. Let's not discuss your fascination with whips and chains. "

"MY fascination?! First one to mention it is probably the one with that particular fetish." Rose shot back. "Care to tell me something, Doctor."

"Nope." The one-syllable word was clearly enunciated. The Doctor refused to look down at Rose, knowing that she was probably grinning and he'd see some devious plot in her eyes. "How's that rescue coming along?"

"Slowly…very…very slowly." Rose drawled, her fingers pulling the sonic screwdriver from the Doctor's shoes. Deliberately and almost leisurely, she started to stand up, her free hand trailing up one of the Doctor's trousered legs. "We don't want to rush this and make a lot of noise, do we, Doctor."

Silently, the Doctor shook his head. Eyes closed, he listened as Rose's hand climbed up his leg and he could feel the heat from her hand through his trousers. His hearts increased in rate as he smelled her shampoo, meaning she was slowly rising.

Dark eyes shot open as her hand reached his thigh.

"Rose." He whispered. The Doctor was sure if saying her name was a plea, a request or a supplication.

"Doctor." Rose replied, humour lacing her voice.

Breathing a sigh of relief…or maybe it was disappointment…the Doctor felt Rose's fingers lightly resting on his ribcage and he watched her face as she looked up at his hands. He inhaled sharply, nostrils flaring, as she suddenly braced her free hand on his chest, stood up on the tips of her toes and leaned into him. Reaching up as high as she could, Rose activated the sonic screwdriver and willed it to unlock the lock.

A metallic clink and the Doctor felt his arms dropping from the air. Stumbling at the release, he grabbed Rose and pulled her with him as he connected with the solid wall behind him, ignoring the sharp burst of pain that volleyed through his back.

A soft ooph escaped her mouth and the Doctor stared at her lips.

Oh, when in Rome…or jail…or wherever…he leaned down and quickly nuzzled Rose's cheek before kissing it.

"My hero." He softly proclaimed.

"Let's get out o'here so that I can brag later." Rose suggested and immediately felt herself spun around. The Doctor grabbed her hand and the two started to navigate the dark corridors of the subterranean jail where the Doctor had spent the better part of the day and night.

"I don't suppose you put the kettle on before you left? Or threw something on for supper?" He asked, peaking around a corner and confirming there was no one there.

"Sorry, Doctor. I had other things on my mind besides playing homemaker."

"Does this mean you won't bring me my slippers when we're back in the TARDIS."

Rose mumbled something under her breath.

"Rose Tyler! There's no need to use that particular term to describe my slippers!"

_So we all go back to yours  
and you sit and talk to me on the floor  
There's no need to show me round baby I feel like I've been here before  
I've be wondering whether later when you tell everybody to go will you pour  
me one for the road  
_

The TARDIS chugged and wheezed her way to a remote spot in space and time, content that her two travelers were safely onboard.

Feeling the TARDIS slow down, the Doctor allowed himself to be tugged by Rose over to the jump seat.

"You done playin' pilot, Flyboy?" She asked, a small white box in her hand.

"For now." He answered. "What's in the box?"

"Medical stuff. I had the TARDIS make one up in case something happened to either of us. This one is specifically made for a certain Time Lord who likes to get himself locked up and chained. You've some chafing on those wrists, Doctor."

Silently, the Doctor watched as Rose bent over and gently examined the minor wounds.

"It's not bad." He lightly protested.

"Don't be such a crybaby." Rose gently admonished.

"I am not a crybaby." Came a slightly more indignant protest.

Humming a noncommittal response, Rose reached out and grabbed a tube of ointment.

"Nanogene ointment. Nothing that will glow or sparkle or float about, but just enough to ensure no infection and that you'll heal up properly." She explained softly, rubbing a bit over his left wrist.

The Doctor closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Rose's fingers caressing his skin. She covered each pore, rubbing and gently squeezing, as if massaging the sore and bruised flesh while administering medical treatment. Unbidden, a sigh floated out of him and he slumped back against the jump seat.

Rose watched as the Doctor nearly went limp and smiled tenderly. It seldom happened, but to see all the energy go out of him and to watch as he truly relaxed was an amazing and breathtaking experience. To Rose, it felt it was the Doctor's way of saying he trusted her. He didn't need to be 'on' and could let her watch over him for a little while.

Ducking her head, she carefully placed his left wrist on his leg before tenderly picking up the other hand. The right hand seemed a bit worse off and Rose dabbed more ointment on it than she had for the other wrist. Slowly, cautiously, her thumbs moved in tiny circles on the soft flesh of the Doctor's wrist, while her fingers tingled at feeling the light dusting of dark hair on the other side. It was taking all of her control to not lean in and kiss him. Not a snog…a kiss. Something that would tell him how happy she was that he was safe and sound and back on the TARDIS with her.

The Doctor opened his eyes and looked down at Rose's bent head.

"You might have found your calling, Nurse Rose." He said quietly.

Rose looked up and stared into a pair of dark brown eyes. She found herself becoming lost in those eyes, nearly as dark as the sky of the universe and almost as infinite.

"Only for you."

"The Doctor and his Nurse." A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Applying a bit more pressure to the bruised and chafed flesh, Rose raised an eyebrow as the Doctor inhaled sharply.

"That title will never…ever…leave this room." Her voice threatened.

"Right. Just between us." The Doctor's grin wavered as he felt Rose's grip tighten even more. "We need to work on your bedside manner."

_I knew this would be on the cards  
I knew you wouldn't fold  
I saw this coming from the start  
shake rattle and roll_

"If work is needed on my bedside manner, Doctor," Rose started, "Then why aren't we doing this in bed."

The Doctor slowly swallowed whatever response he was about to glibly toss out. The image of Rose caring for him in bed was doing strange things to his breathing.

"Are you okay, Doctor? You look like you're about to faint."

"Me? Faint? Please!" The tall man protested, a little too vehemently in Rose's estimation.

"Me thinks he doth protest too much…to borrow a line from Shakespeare."

"Oh, please…do not start quoting that…that…Cassanova's drivel at me." The Doctor growled.

"Cassanova? You've met Shakespeare?"

"Let's not go there. And I'm certainly not bringing you to meet him!"

"Why not?" Rose pouted.

"Because, he'd be all over you like…like…"

"Jealous?" Rose asked.

The Doctor snorted. "Me? Jealous? Please!"

"You're doing a lot of protesting, Doctor."

"You should have seen me in the 1960's." He grinned and made a peace sign with his fingers. The shiny ointment on his wrist caught his attention. "Nice job."

"Thank you." Rose smiled at the compliment. "Did they hurt you anywhere else?"

There was a pause before the Doctor replied, "No."

"Liar."

"Wellll…"

"What did they do to you?" Rose's eyes shone with compassion. The Doctor knew Rose cared about any pain inflicted on those she loved.

"Just a bit of flagellation."

Rose gasped, a hand whipping up to cover her mouth.

"They whipped you?!" She jumped up and whirled around to the Doctor's back. "There aren't any marks or torn material."

"Sonic lash." The Doctor admitted. "I'll be okay. Maybe a bit tender for a few days but…"

His voice trailed off as Rose took his hand and grabbed the first aid with the other hand.

"Where are we going?" He asked, allowing Rose to be the one to take the tugging lead for one.

from: . ]  
_So we all go back to yours  
and you sit and talk to me on the floor  
There's no need to show me round baby I feel like I've been here before  
I've be wondering whether later when you tell everybody to go will you pour  
me one for the road_

"This isn't quite right." The Doctor protested. He sat on the edge of his bed and watched as Rose lay out some additional first aid supplies on the night stand.

"Doctor, will you take your shirt off or shall I do it for you?" She asked brusquely.

Dark eyes opened in shock.

"Why, Rose Tyler…you little nursing dominatrix."

"Doctor…" Rose's voice threatened as she reached up and hooked a finger behind the knot of his tie. The Doctor sat rigidly still, carefully watching as Rose loosened his tie. The rustle of soft fabric sliding over soft fabric sounded very appealing to the Doctor. He wondered if Rose's sighs of pleasure would sound just as silken.

Placing her hands on the Doctor's shoulders, Rose slid her fingers under the jacket and pushed the thick material off. Cautiously, trying to not make the Doctor stretch too much, Rose tugged the sleeves off of the Doctor's arms and neatly folded the suit jacket before lying on the bed. The Doctor nodded approvingly.

Rose looked at the Doctor's face, glanced down at the buttons of shirt before looking back up. The Doctor arched an eyebrow up and silently dared Rose to see how far she'd go. Never one to back down from a challenge, Rose stepped closer and one by one, slowly pushed each individual button, and inch by inch opened the Doctor's shirt.

A sparse dusting of hair was revealed to her eyes, but she tried to focus only on the shirt. One or two buttons were lower and tucked within the Doctor's pants. She tugged on the shirt and revealed the hidden buttons. Deftly, she released the final buttons and pushed the shirt off of the Doctor's shoulders. Like the jacket, she pulled the sleeves off and shivered slightly at the sound of the material sliding off of the Doctor's body.

She tried to not focus on the fact that she was indeed stripping the Doctor. This was purely for his benefit…healing benefit. There was nothing sexual about this…right? Then why was her mouth suddenly dry and her palms sweaty?

Trying to ignore the flush on her cheeks, Rose folded the shirt and placed it on top of the jacket. The tie lay forgotten on the floor.

With a finger, she gestured for the Doctor to lie down on the bed, stomach first. Slowly, the Doctor pushed off his shoes and acquiesced. Rose gasped at the now visible bruises. Here and there, strips of broken flesh greeted her gaze.

"It's not as bad as it looks." The Doctor promised. "I've already started to heal."

"Right. But that requires energy and I can help you conserve that energy." Rose grabbed a tube and watched as some ointment dispersed onto her palm. Rubbing her hands together first to warm up the lotiony medicine, she leaned over and began to gently rub the ointment over the wounds. "Why did they do this?"

"Well, you know, I said hello. Apparently, they didn't like 'hello' over there." The Doctor closed his eyes and sighed in pleasure as Rose rubbed his back.

"That'll teach you to be friendly." Rose muttered drily. Her fingers watched in amazement as the ointment began to slowly heal the torn flesh. "You might have some scars for a day or two."

"Scars add character." The Doctor murmured.

"They'll be gone soon enough."

"So much for character."

"I think you have plenty of character." Rose said.

"Do you know?" The Doctor sniffed, impressed with the compliment.

"Oi. No need to go all high and mighty, Doctor. You're in a vulnerable position right now."

"You'd never take advantage of me like this."

Rose leaned down and put her mouth by one of the Doctor's ears.

"Wouldn't I?" She breathed and was rewarded with a shiver from the Doctor. "But it would be sooooo easy to do so."

Her pink tongue licked the shell of his ear lightly and Rose felt the Doctor's breathing increase.

"Very easy." She emphasized.

"Your bedside manner has improved by leaps and bounds." The Doctor acknowledged, eyes closed and enjoying the feel of Rose's tongue and the sound of her breathing.

_The mixture hits ya hard  
Don't get that sinking feeling  
Don't fall apart  
Some out of tune guitars  
Soundtrack to disaster_

One for the road  
One for the road  
One for the road

Rolling his shoulders, the Doctor buried his face into a pillow to stifle his groan.

"Hey now, don't go smotherin' yourself. I'm a little out of practice on my mouth-to-mouth." Rose joked.

The Doctor's head jerked up and he twisted around to look at Rose, shock and something else written all over his face.

"I highly doubt that, Rose Tyler." He said, voice a bit hoarse.

Rose licked her lips, suddenly very aware of what she had said. What she had said in the Doctor's bed. What she had said in the Doctor's bed with a half-naked Doctor in it.

She couldn't take her eyes off of hi, Rose felt that awareness again, that feeling that coursed through her every time the Doctor was near or holding her hand. Suddenly the TARDIS didn't feel very large at all, it was just this room, this bed, them. The Universe had shrunk down to the size of just a few feet.

Blinking, she jerked back and started breathing again.

"What…what happened?"

The Doctor smiled faintly.

"Oh, I think you know what that was. But until you admit it, I can't really tell you."

Rose stared for a moment and allowed a few heartbeats to pass before speaking.

"Until I admit it…admit what?"

"What that…this…is."

"You don't usually have a difficult time explaining things, Doctor."

"True. But this time I can't explain it…you need to figure it out and let me know when you do."

Reaching out, Rose placed her hands on the Doctor's bare chest, reveling in the twin beats. If she hadn't found him in that prison, or not been in time…a shudder ripped through her. Staring at the Doctor, she licked her lips and noticed his eyes dip to watch her mouth.

"I need…to explain…" She hesitated. "What this is…between us, right? This connection? This bond?"

Slowly, almost cautiously, the Doctor nodded.

"Do I need to name it?"

"No. Some things just don't have a name." The Doctor said knowingly, a spark of humour in his eyes.

"Then how do…I mean…how I do explain it without naming it?"

"Rose Tyler…you a smart young lady. I'm sure you'll figure it out." The Doctor looked around. "Now can I put a shirt back on?"

_So we all go back to yours  
and you sit and talk to me on the floor  
There's no need to show me round baby I feel like I've been here before  
I've be wondering whether later when you tell everybody to go will you pour  
me one for the road_

"I rather like you like this." Rose gestured. "Half naked…in bed."

"Kind of hard to pilot the TARDIS from here."

"Maybe we should hang out around here for a few days and just relax. Let yourself heal up properly. I can bring you some tea and biscuits."

"In here?" The Doctor looked shocked. "Eating in bed? Half naked?"

"Oh like you've never done that before."

"Certainly not!" The Doctor crossed his arms and Rose fought the urge to trace his wiry arms. "Eating bed should only be done fully naked."

"Well, far be it from me to stop you from keeping up with tradition." Rose grinned and reached for the Doctor's belt.

"Hey!" The Doctor tried to slap Rose's hands away. The two grappled for positioning and before they knew it, Rose was pinned sideways, across the Doctor's legs with him leaning over top. "I think we're back to discussing your bedside manner."

"Seems to have cheered you up a bit." Rose pointed out.

"Yeaaahhhh…energy seems to have increased, too."

"So I see." Rose acknowledged. "I could go get that tea and biscuits while you strip, if you'd like."

"I'm actually quite comfortable right now."

"Fancy that." Rose's tongue touched the corner of her mouth. "Me, too."

"I suppose we'll need to get up at some point."

"Oh, yeah…but some point could be a while." Rose suggested and was rewarded with a knowing smile from the Doctor. All she needed to do was lean up…maybe arch a little and…her eyes dropped to the Doctor's mouth. "Doctor, I was wondering somethin'…"

"Hmmm?" The response was somewhat ambiguous.

"And if you don't want to, I'll understand."

The Doctor's gazed sharpened a bit. Rose wouldn't have noticed that first when they first met, but now she recognized it. His body remained seemingly relaxed but his gaze didn't miss a thing.

"And what is it that I may or may not want to do?" He asked, willing himself to not get his hopes up.

Wordlessly, Rose leaned up and brushed her lips against his. Cautiously, she nibbled on his lower lip before reclaiming the Doctor's mouth. Happy to cooperate, the Doctor opened his mouth and pushed Rose back down into the mattress as their tongues danced. Still draped over his legs, the angle pushed her chest up against his naked skin and the Doctor nearly cried at the absence of skin-on-skin.

Slowly, languidly, Rose's tongue stroked the Doctor's mouth and the Time Lord found himself lost in the moment. It was as if Rose was her own Time Vortex…space and time existed only within her.

Jerking back, the Doctor stared into her Rose's forest-coloured eyes and searched for…

"Doctor…I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

The Doctor shushed Rose.

"Don't apologize. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't still…"

"Still?"

"It is you, right?" The Doctor demanded. "No Time Vortex?"

"No Cassandra either." Rose grinned and stretched against the Doctor. "All me."

"Oh, that's good…that's very good!" The Doctor smiled and dipped back down to Rose's mouth.


	5. Arabella

_Disclaimer - Please return to the Introduction to see that usual 'not mine' blurb._

"**Arabella"**

_Arabella's got some interstellar gator skin boots  
And a Helter Skelter 'round her little finger and I ride it endlessly  
She's got a Barbarella silver swimsuit  
And when she needs to shelter from reality  
She takes a dip in my daydreams  
_

The Doctor lay on his bed, arms stretched up and his long-fingered hands cradling the back of his head. Staring at the ceiling, he watched as the TARDIS passed swirling galaxies and gas-lobbing stellar nurseries outside, well beyond his physical reach from the bed, but a micro-touch away from his mind. A silent command and the TARDIS would quickly reroute over to wherever he wanted to go, but for now he was more than content to enjoy a different kind of exploring in his head.

Rose had left his room eventually and he wasn't sure if he wanted to sigh in relief or cry in agony. His hands felt empty without being able to touch her but he knew had been quickly reaching his limits for keeping the session at the purely make-out level.

Not that Rose would have minded had things escalated. The Doctor knew that. If he was to be truthful with himself, he wouldn't have minded either. He could smell her pheromones and arousal at the time and even traces continued to linger in the air several hours later. Ordered to stay in bed, the Doctor acquiesced only because he knew he could enjoy his little fantasies in private and not have to explain the far off look in his eyes.

Of course, if Rose returned he had a feeling fantasy would become reality. A man, even a Gallifreyan Time Lord, could only withstand so much before succumbing to his desires…and hadn't he withstood quite a bit and for a long enough time already? Yup, if Rose walked in now, things might happen that would make even the TARDIS blush.

"Well, now, wouldn't that be a shame?" He grinned and enjoyed the view of a ringed planet the TARDIS was passing.

He had known from the very beginning that Rose was a passionate creature and, once she realized she wouldn't be mocked or belittled for her emotions, the Doctor was thrilled to see her uninhibited side released. Free to display her feelings, Rose in bed was truly a creature to behold – sensual, wild, playful, tender and curious. She had been willing to partner the Doctor in anything he threw her way. He usually controlled his wants – well, those of a certain nature – and his emotions – showing only exuberance, curiousity and occasionally anger – but in bed, he always looked for someone who was conformable with all the pleasures to be found.

Maybe not quite as comfortable with bed sport as Jack Harkness…but was anyone as comfortable as that former Time Agent?

Rose's only hesitancy was with her only physical self, but the Doctor had quickly assured her that he adored every curve on her body. Eventually, her blush of embarrassment turned to a flush of desire.

The idea of repeating every moment of that kiss – it wasn't a kissing session, it was a kiss that had lasted for a very long time – on a beach appealed to him. A large blanket – or even just his coat – and Rose in a bathing suit, her skin warmed by the heat of a dual sun system, her skin tasting of the salt water from an alien ocean…the Doctor felt himself beginning to like the idea more and more.

He wasn't sure if Rose would. Thus far, she had enjoyed the planets where there were beaches, but he wasn't sure if she would be comfortable enough to throw on a bathing suit. Something in his gut said Rose was an all or nothing girl…all clothing or completely, utterly naked.

That last idea appealed to him greatly. Maybe a planet where nude beaches were the norm would be the better plan. Or, better still, a deserted planet with beaches where they could set their own rules of…ahem…propriety and acceptable social behaviour.

_My days end best when the sunset gets itself behind  
That little lady sitting on the passenger side  
It's much less picturesque without her catching the light  
The horizon tries but it's just not as kind on the eyes  
As Arabella, oh  
As Arabella  
_

"We're where again, Doctor?" Rose asked peaking outside and blinking at the brilliant sunlight from two glowing orbs in the sky. She listened as the Doctor repeated the name before ducking back inside. "And it's just us here?"

"Yup." He grinned.

"Just you…and me…"

"And TARDIS makes three." He quipped good naturedly, watching as Rose hopped up onto the jump seat.

"It's a beach. A big beach with green sand."

"Yeah, isn't it lovely?" The Doctor's eyes danced playfully. "Lying in bed for all that time gave me the perfect inspiration to come here."

"Remind me to keep you in bed more often." Rose replied. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had said and then grinned.

"Duly noted." The Doctor nodded. "Being confined to bed was a lot more pleasant than I thought it would. At least for the first little bit. After that, though, I was left to my own devices and day dreams and here we are. So, technically, Rose Tyler, this is really your fault."

The blonde woman's wide mouth twitched in amusement.

"Something tells me an apology isn't necessary."

"Nope." The Doctor agreed.

The two walked outside and listened as the soft sand nearly sang beneath their shoes. Rose watched the dark water lapping gently at the sand. Appearing black in colour, she knew it was simply because of the colour of the sand and if she picked it up in her hands, it would be as clear as the water back on Earth.

"Beautiful." She breathed.

"Yes, you are." The Doctor, his eyes staring ahead. He felt rather than saw Rose turn to look at him and kept the smile off of his face. He was quickly learning that Rose wasn't used to sincere, genuine compliments. He was sure Jackie gave them, but a mother's opinion was biased. And as for Mickey, well, he could hardly be accused of being smooth with the fairer sex. Then again, the Doctor conceded, he was out of practice, as well, but Rose didn't seem to mind his simple terms of affection.

"So, why here?" She asked. "I mean, why did your daydreams lead you…us…here?"

"Swimming!" The Doctor practically shouted playfully, spinning around with his arms flung wide. "Our very own private beach. The water here is the perfect temperature."

"You want a beach vacation?" Rose asked. "Sounds nice. I'll go get changed."

The Doctor reached out and stilled Rose by placing a hand on her arm. She looked questioningly at him.

"Changed into what?" He asked, dropping his voice to seductive whisper.

"My…my…bathing suit?" Rose hesitated.

"Rose Tyler…why do you think you need a bathing suit? Going to offend the locals if you don't? Because I certainly won't be offended if you opted out of the bathing suit."

Rose gulped.

"Opt. Out." She repeated slowly, her voice trembling slightly with a sudden case of nervousness.

"Opt. Out." The Doctor echoed the words even more slowly and knowledgeably, a dare shining in his dark eyes. Cautiously, he wrapped his fingers around Rose's arm and pulled her towards him. "Don't think for one moment I've forgotten what you started back on the TARDIS. I don't want to forget it. I want to add to those memories. I want to see you glow from happiness and pleasure, Rose Tyler. I want to see you burn with desire and passion, Rose Tyler. Simply put, I want to see you, Rose Tyler."

Rose sighed dreamily and nearly went limp at those words. The Doctor had, until now, hidden this side of himself from her, occasionally permitting a glimmer of his affectionate, but never intimate, self to escape. She was glad the Pandora's Box, so to speak, had been opened. Her breathing increased at the idea of swimming naked with the Doctor…and drying naked in the sun with the Doctor…and doing other things naked. on the beach with the Doctor. Naked. She was sensing a theme. Never let it be said that Rose Tyler didn't eventually clue in.

_Just migh've tapped into your mind and soul  
You can't be sure_

The Doctor watched as Rose had transitioned from the shock of swimming naked to the pleasure at being told he wanted to see. It wasn't a line. It was all true. Part of him was equally shocked at what he had said in the heat of the moment; yet a smaller, but more vocal part, was cheering that he had finally uttered those words which had spun around in his own head for so long, he was convinced a mental Time Vortex had formed inside his brain.

"I want to see you, too." Rose had replied once she was able to catch her breath. "But what if…"

"What if someone sees us?" The Doctor finished the question for Rose. "We're the only two bi-pedal creatures here with ambidextrous thumbs and capable of vocalizing a protest in a clearly communicable format."

"See?" To prove his point, the Doctor hooked his thumbs into the waistband of Rose's jeans and tugged her closer. "Of course, if you want me to stop…"

"I see." Rose gasped. Slowly, she looked around. "Just us, right?"

"Just us." The Doctor nodded. "No. Let me rephrase. Only us."

"I think I like that one better."

"Good." The Doctor looked pleased. "You know, we're wasting precious skinny-dipping time."

Rose laughed.

"What?"

"I never thought a Time Lord would say 'skinny-dip'." Rose choked out.

"Oh, spent a lot of time wondering what I would and wouldn't say?" The Doctor's eyebrows rose in mock irritation. "Dare I ask what other words you thought I wouldn't say? I think it's time to prove just how very wrong you are on them."

"One concept at a time, Doctor." Rose pleaded. "Not sure my human brain could handle all that extra knowledge."

"Well, how about you just relax and I'll help you get ready to go swimming. You can process all that extra knowledge, as you put it." The Doctor suggested, removing his coat and, with a flourish, he laid it on the green sand. Rose allowed herself to be placed on the coat and inhaled sharply as the Doctor placed a hand on one of her ankles. Slowly, seductively, he unlaced a shoe and slipped it free.

Walking his long fingers under her pants and over her ankle, the Doctor hooked his fingers over the ribbing of her sock and leisurely tugged it down and over her foot. Positioning her foot on the warm, green sand, Rose leaned back on her arms and enjoyed the feeling of her one, solitary naked foot. She could only image how it would feel to have both of her feet naked…and then maybe her legs…and then, her eyes shot open as the Doctor removed her second shoe.

It was obviously his turn to strip her and Rose had a suddenly that payback…with interest…was in her immediate future. She grinned with only a hint of trepidation.

_Arabella's got a '70s head  
But she's a modern lover  
It's an exploration she's made of outer space  
And her lips are like the galaxy's edge  
And her kiss the color of a constellation falling into place_

The Doctor sensed, rather than saw, Rose's body relax then tense then return to one of relaxation. Her wordless capitulation to his silent request that she allow him to do this only endeared her to him more. It was a sign of the bond that had forged between them. He wondered if Rose sensed it, as well, or if this was normal for her.

His hands stilled in the process of removing her second sock. What if this WAS normal for her? It certainly wasn't for him. Sex was one thing for his people but intimacy was treasured and highly sought. What was this for Rose? The Doctor found himself wanting to know what Rose was feeling.

Just as that want crossed his mind, he heard a soft breathy sigh escape Rose and he looked up. She lay back on his coat, hands scrunching up the thick material, and seemed lost in the moment. The side of her bare foot rubbed against his leg as her toes curled within the soft sand, a connection with him, the planet and the moment.

"Don't stop." She whispered, without opening her eyes. "Please, don't stop…don't ever stop."

The Doctor realized at that point that this wasn't just another normal thing for Rose. She was lost in the Now…a moment with him…and wanted to feel more. This wasn't about hormones or de-stressing or a blip in time for a release. This was about trust and passion and sensuality and discovery.

Tugging the other sock off, the Doctor placed it off to the side with Rose's shoes before allowing his hands to slowly inch up her legs. Though her jeans, Rose could feel every fingertip touch her and she keened softly when the Doctor stopped. Her eyes fluttered open and the unfocused face of the stared up at her.

"Hey." She pouted. "You've stopped."

"Why so I have." The Doctor murmured.

"Why?"

"Dunno." The Doctor admitted. "Well, I do know, actually, but it's all really jumbled up in my head at the moment."

"Doctor," Rose smiled as her gaze sharpened. Her forest-coloured eyes cleared and she happily took in the Doctor's angular cheekbones and sharp nose. She unclenched one hand, releasing the bunched up material of his jacket, and lightly guided one of the Doctor's hands to her belt buckle. "It won't undo itself and don't you dare try using your sonic screwdriver on it."

The Doctor let a bark of laughter out at that image. It would be fun to try, but maybe another day…one when he wasn't so determined to see a naked Rose on his coat. Come to think of it, he rather hoped that kind of day would never come.

"But first," Rose licked her lips. "I don't suppose you'd consider coming up here and kissing me?"

"Oh, I consider that all of the time." The Doctor confessed.

"How about you stop considering it then and start doing?" Rose challenged. She gasped as the Doctor surged up her body and claimed her mouth.

"Been wanting to do that all day." He mumbled between licks and nips.

"Ditto." Rose breathed, her hands now firmly latched on to the Doctor's hair. "So unfair that you have such nice hair."

"But it's not ginger." Came a muffled, morose response.

"You're perfect." Rose said sincerely, as she started to work kisses along the Doctor's chin. "You were perfect before. You are perfect now. You will be perfect."

The Doctor's body stiffened and he stilled his mouth. Pulling back, he asked, "What did you say?"

Rose blinked up at the Doctor, the two suns shining down into her eyes.

"I said…"

"I heard you." The Doctor said sharply. "But you can't know what you're saying."

"Why not?"

"Because you're supposed to have forgotten about …"

"Doctor, this wasn't about the Time Vortex in my head. This is about me knowing you and feeling these…" Rose placed a hand on the Doctor's chest. "And the connection between us. There is no name for it, true, it's a feeling of awareness and completion and…"

Rose was cut off as the Doctor's mouth swooped back down, claiming her lips in a frenzied kiss. Arching up into him, she opened her mouth to the demand of his tongue and welcomed its swirling demand on her. The Doctor skimmed one hand down Rose's side, savouring her sharp inhalation of pleasure.

His fingers reached her belt buckle and suddenly he was at a loss.

'No sonic screwdriver?" He asked.

"No sonic screwdriver." Rose confirmed, choking back her laughter. "Teeth, on the other hand…"

A very pleased grin appeared on the Doctor's face.

"Rose Tyler…you wicked creature! I'm impressed!"

_My days end best when the sunset gets itself behind  
That little lady sitting on the passenger side  
It's much less picturesque without her catching the light  
The horizon tries but it's just not as kind on the eyes  
As Arabella, oh  
As Arabella  
_

The two lay naked, stomachs down, on the Doctor's coat, allowing the late afternoon sun to both keep them warm and dry their bodies.

"You do know that one of the aspects of swimming is having an ability to float, right, Doctor?" Rose broke the silence.

"I'm a splasher, a player, a jumper in the water. I'm not a floater." He mumbled petulantly.

Rose's mouth twitched at the term, but she felt it was safer to not remark on it.

"Not my fault the floor just disappeared." The Doctor continued. "I mean, there we were having a good old time splashing about and then, WHOOSH!, where the floor go? The ground just disappeared. That's not right."

"Can't you swim?" Rose asked.

"Of course I can swim!" The naked man exclaimed before resting his chin on his arms crossed beneath him. "I just don't like it when the ground suddenly disappears…with no warning…very rude."

"Right." Rose said slowly, deciding it probably better to chance the topic. "So…ummmm…now what?"

The Doctor looked pensive.

"Good question. What now, indeed." He pursed his lips and gave the matter some intense thought.

"We could watch the sun….suns…set." Rose suggested.

"Be a few hours, yet." Came the reply. "But that does sound nice. Let's add it to our 'to do' list for today."

Nodding, Rose moved one of her hands over to the Doctor's back and lightly rubbed it. The scars from the sonic lashing he had received were now gone and he said he was fully healed. Rose hoped his healing was due to the nanogene ointment and not because the Doctor had used any regenerative energy.

"Thassnice." The Doctor mumbled, eyes closed.

Wordlessly, Rose shifted until her naked self was straddling the Doctor's naked derriere. It was a very cute derriere, she admitted before returning her eyes to his back. Leaning forward, she felt the tips of her breasts brush against the skin just below the Doctor's shoulder blades, as reached out and placed her fingers and thumbs on the top of the Doctor's scalp.

"Huh?" He started a bit.

"Shhh. Just relax and enjoy." Rose whispered as she lightly dug the pads of her fingers and thumbs into the Doctor's scalp. Moving her fingers in tiny circles, she rubbed his head, pulling and compressing on the tight skin. A purr-like groan escaped him and Rose smiled in satisfaction, before slowly moving her fingers down to the base of his skull.

Thumbs pressed into the tender flesh at the top of his neck, while her fingers gently rubbed the sides, pulling the tenseness out of those muscles and pushing down towards his shoulders. Shifting slightly, Rose worked on the Doctor's shoulders, reveling in the ability to touch his skin and wondering at how amazing it was to touch him.

Minute upon minute, Rose tugged and prodded and compressed and stretched muscles all along the back of the Doctor, down the backs of his legs, and finally pulling the tension out of his two baby toes. Rose couldn't remember a time when she had seen the Doctor look quite so relaxed.

He wasn't asleep but perhaps he was in a compliant mood. Rose decided to test that theory.

"Roll over, Doctor. Time to do the same to the front."

Silently, the Doctor flipped over on to his back, not giving Rose a chance to move. She gulped as the Doctor was fully, utterly, totally, completely naked before her. The view of his posterior was one thing. Now she had a full-on Doctor view and she suddenly didn't know where to look.

"I must admit that you've found a delightful way to pass the time until sunset." The Doctor said cheekily. "I can't wait to see what you do next."

_Just might__'__ve tapped into your mind and soul  
You can't be sure  
_

"Don't suppose you'd consider telling me what you'd rather do next?" Rose asked, trying not to wince at the faintness of her voice.

"Nah." The Doctor drawled, his top lip curling up a bit. "You're doing quite well on your own….no input from me needed. Carry on."

Rose knelt at the Doctor's feet, suddenly wondering where all of this massaging bravado had come from. She had never done that before. Sure, she had kneaded her Mum's back after a rough day and even given Mickey the occasional shoulder rub, but what she had just done to the Doctor – and was considering doing to the Doctor – was unchartered territory in her books.

Hoping her trepidation would disappear, Rose picked up one of the Doctor's feet and began to rub circles around the ankle bones and over the Achilles heel.

"Tickles." The Doctor said absently. "But only a bit."

Rose put the foot down and repeated the circular movements on the other foot for a few heartbeats before laying it gently back down on the ground. Knowing she had focused on the backs and sides of his legs while the Doctor had lain on his stomach, Rose felt she didn't need to spend as much time until she reached his…oh dear…thighs.

When did leg hair suddenly become so sexy? Rose pondered this as she felt the coarseness travelling beneath her fingers. It wasn't fair, for a man to have sexy leg hair while it appeared nearly rugby-esque on a woman.

Reaching his wiry thighs, Rose glanced up and took in closed eyes, rapid breathing and two very clenched fists on either side of the Doctor's body. It appeared that the Doctor wasn't quite as immune to this relaxation as she had first thought.

'The little faker.' Rose thought before her eyes drifted over to the inevitable. 'Okay, I take back the word little. Really, he's rather…nice. Is than insult? I mean, I'm not pointing and laughing…nor am I running away screaming in fear. It's really beautiful and…'

"Please tell me you're not having a staring contest with it." The Doctor remarked drily. Rose's head shot up and she blushed at being caught.

"Thank you for the interruption." She retorted. "I was almost ready to blink."

"Ah, so it was a staring contest. Better that than a conversation, I suppose." The Doctor paused before a leering smirk appeared. "Although..."

"Oi!" Rose exclaimed. "Down, boy!"

"Believe me, Rose, when I tell you that it is taking bit of my control to stay down."

"But you seemed so relaxed a moment ago!"

"I was in heaven, Rose…pure heaven. Those hands of yours can work magic. But I also know you're naked and touching me and, well, it's bound to have an effect even on someone with my mental acuity." The Doctor paused for a moment. "I'm not immune to you, Rose. Never have been. Probably never will be…hope I never will be. But I'm certainly not about to pounce on you like I'm fresh out of the Time Academy."

"A little pouncing every now and then would be okay." Rose admitted. "I wouldn't complain."

"No, you wouldn't, would you?" The Doctor looked down his body at Rose, who straddled his thighs. He arched a dark eyebrow. "You do realize that we're having a discussion about…intimacy…while naked and doing absolutely nothing about it."

"Sounds rather intimate to me." Rose pointed out.

"Now why did you have to go all mature on me suddenly?" The Doctor mockingly whined.

"Someone has to be the mature one."

"I nominate the TARDIS." The Doctor looked back at the blue police box, affection apparent in his voice.

"She usually is the most mature out of us all." Rose admitted. "We should give her a day off every now and then. It certainly can't be easy being your nanny."

"Hey! Unfair!" The protest was loud.

"But you're not denying it." Rose chuckled.

"Don't you have a massage to get back to?" Came the question as the Doctor grabbed Rose's hands. "Start anywhere you like…here, perhaps?"

Rose grinned as her hands were placed on the Doctor's upper thighs.

_(That's magic) in a cheetah print coat  
(Just a slip) underneath it I hope  
(Asking if) I can have one of those  
(Organic) cigarettes that she smokes  
(Rubs her lips) 'round a Mexican Coke  
(Makes you wish) that you were the bottle  
(Takes a sip) of your soul, and it sounds like  
_

A bottle of sparkling water, flavoured with some alien citrus-like fruit, was sitting in the sand, twisted in a bit so that it wouldn't tip over. Two flutes, now empty of first drinks, lay on their sides, ignored by the only two bi-pedal creatures on the planet…bi-pedal creatures with ambidextrous thumbs and capable of vocalizing their appreciation in a clearly communicable format.

A few oooh's and aaah's escaped the mouths of Rose and the Doctor as they became caught up in the moment, fingers entwined on the coat, bare arms touching and naked legs draped over each other. Turning his head, the Doctor admired the colours of the sunset as they painted Rose in a soft glow of orange and pink.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss against a naked shoulder, flicking his tongue over the still salty skin. Savouring the moment, he rested his forehead against the top of her arm and stared down at their joined hands.

"Lost in thought?" Rose asked quietly. A soft hum of agreement replied.

"Care to share?" She gently prompted. A nearly inaudible grunt negated that before the Doctor raised his head.

"I was just thinking that we should have more days like this." He started, a slight frown marring his handsome face.

"And give up our adventures?" A good-natured smile brightened Rose's features.

"Be less dangerous." Came the gentle admission. "I promised your mum that I'd keep you safe."

The Doctor carefully studied Rose and with his free hand, reached out and caressed her face.

"And I want to do that…but you deserve to see the universe, Rose Tyler. I want to show you everything about it and all the beauty in it and for you to know that you are a big part of that big, beautiful vastness."

"When you talk like that, how can a girl resist?" The question was coyly put but the Doctor didn't miss the message.

"You don't mind the danger?"

"Doctor, no one…not even you…can control everything, everywhere, every time. But this I do know," Rose turned and sat cross-legged. She leaned forward and cupped the Doctor's face in her hands, the sunset forgotten. "You will never, ever deliberately do anything to cause me harm. You will never, ever deliberately hurt me. Somehow I know that. You're a part of me…and I think I'm a part of you. "

"Oh, that you are, Rose. That you certainly are." The Doctor breathed.

"Sunsets and beaches are all well and good. So is adventure and fun and uncertainty. Because no matter what we're doing, we're doing it together. And that's what's important to me." Rose's tone was firm. "Take away names and titles and it's this simple… You're mine. I'm yours."

It was the Doctor's turn to be stunned at spoken words. Rose had figured it out. The simplicity of the connection. No names or titles or designations…just a simple state of being. For a human, she really was quite brilliant.

Wordlessly, he reached for the bottle and refilled the glasses with the sparkling citrus water. He handed a flute of the bubbly water to Rose and raised his own glass slightly.

"Here's to the simplicity of being each other's." He smiled faintly. It was rather overwhelming that his Rose had figured it out this quickly.

"Simply us." Rose nodded and the two clinked their glasses lightly, just as one sun started to dip below the horizon.

Two sets of eyes widened at the spark of light across the water and the resonance from the crystal flutes touching. For one instantaneous moment, there was only whiteness around them. No Time Lord. No Human. No beach or TARDIS. But there was an awareness that they were together.

"Wow. We're really quite amazing, aren't we?" The Doctor grinned, as the moment passed and the beach and the suns and the TARDIS returned.

_Just might__'__ve tapped into your mind and soul  
You can't be sure_

"What was that?" She asked, putting down her glass of forgotten water. "What just happened?"

"Light has mass and it probably reacted to the vibrations of our clink and for one instant moment, we were caught up in that reaction to the reverberation."

"Talk about living in the moment." Rose muttered, still processing that the universe seemingly disappeared but for the two of them.

"Speaking of the moment…come here, please." The Doctor opened his arms. Rose shifted over and placed her back against his chest. "We should do naked hugs more often."

"I'm not sure the TARDIS would go for a clothing optional dress code."

"We could ask."

"Why don't you get right on that, Doctor? Let me know how that how it works out for ya." Rose chuckled softly and the Doctor smiled as he felt the amusement course through her.

Resting his chin on her dirty blonde hair, the Doctor gazed out as one sun was almost half gone below the horizon. It wouldn't be long before the second sun was also gone and the two would be on a naked beach at night. Probably a bit chilly for that, especially as they had enjoyed the warmth of the two suns for the better part of the day. And firewood was in scant supply.

Sadly, he realized that they'd probably need to return to the TARDIS soon and the state of being clothed. Running his fingers along Rose's side, his hand came to rest on a bare hip bone. Rose gasped slightly at the sensation and moved to lean her head back against a shoulder of the Doctor's.

"This has been amazing." She whispered. "Thank you."

"For a day at the beach? Any time." Puzzlement filled the Doctor's voice.

"No. This. Today. Us."

"Ah."

"You understand, right?" Rose asked.

"Scary enough, I do." The Doctor admitted. "And my first response stands…any time, Rose Tyler, any time."


	6. I Want It All

_Disclaimer – Back in the Introduction, because, yes, I want you to re-read this story over and over and over again._

"**I Want It All"**

_Blind fate,  
Hard to take,  
Mind games,  
Mistakes,  
My sweet fire-ball,  
My sweet rigmarole  
I want it all,  
I want it all.  
_

Rose knew that it was different this time. Not just because of what she been doing over the past little while or that she had matured or because of the adrenalin. No. This time it was because of the invisible filament of feeling that connected her to the Doctor. Even though they weren't together at the moment – the Doctor was off somewhere in the TARDIS – Rose could almost sense him, although she wasn't sure if that was her mind playing tricks on her, the TARDIS speaking to her or if there really was some link between herself and the Time Lord.

This wasn't a childish dream, even if he did have a child-like air about him at times. With the Doctor, she felt something that went beyond daytime fantasies of a flat with a view over a park or writing their two names entwined through inked hearts on paper. No. This time it was something deeper and meaningful and Rose knew that she wanted to hold on to it forever and a day.

She recalled a conversation with Mickey just before she had run back to the Doctor and the TARDIS and the promise of a new life.

'_Thank you.' She had said, giving Mickey a quick parting peck of good-bye._

'_For what?' Mickey asked, confused._

'_Exactly.' Rose replied and then she ran away from him and rather she ran towards her new life._

Her relationship with Mickey had been a patch in her life. Something to keep the 'normal' in her day-to-day mundaness. Normal people had jobs. Normal people had relationships. Normal people didn't go running off with complete strangers who travelled through space and time in a blue police box.

And Rose was suddenly quite thankful that she wasn't as normal as she had once dreaded.

Normal couldn't travel with the Doctor. Normal certainly couldn't travel to new worlds. And normal most definitely could not fall in love with the Doctor.

A sudden urge coursed through Rose…a need to touch him. Absently, she curled her fingers, mentally feeling the crazy silkiness that was his hair. Now that she had this unspoken carte blanche to touch him, it was like she couldn't stop. The Doctor was her drug of choice and Rose decided she most definitely needed a fix.

_Old loves,  
New tricks,  
Can you feel it,  
Space age country girls,  
Stone cold miracle,  
I want it all,  
I want it all._

The Doctor sat in a room in the TARDIS that he had not shown Rose. It wasn't that he was deliberately hiding it from her. Eventually, perhaps, she would discover it. In a way, she was already there. A picture of Rose with her dancing eyes and wide smile hung on the wall in the room. Tiny metal plates were on the frame of her picture.

'Rose Tyler' and '09-01' and '10-01' were there for him to read.

She was the first Companion for the 9th Doctor and the first Companion for the 10th Doctor. He walked around the room, looking at pictures of former Companions, with their names and when they travelled with him. The TARDIS had started this Chamber of Companions and, at first, it had made the Doctor sad, seeing all these people no longer in his life, but he eventually remembered that he was made better because they had been his friends.

He paused in front of a picture of Sarah Jane. Beside it was lovely action-shot of K-9. He had been right to upgrade the robot dog for Sarah Jane. And saying a proper good-bye had been the honourable thing to do. Still, he felt their absence in his life nearly every day. It was impossible to have two hearts and not care. The trick was to not show that affection.

At least, that's what he had told himself until 'Rose Tyler' had come into his life. At that point, his rules went out the TARDIS's front door.

He stopped again in front of the picture of Rose and reached out to touch it. It wasn't nearly the same as touching the real thing. The picture, while accurate in every physical detail, failed to capture her lively personality or buoyancy of spirit.

Idly, he pursed his lips and wondered at the idea of creating pictures that were more life-like…maybe like those moving pictures in 'Harry Potter'. He felt the TARDIS groan at the concept and quickly pushed it away. The notion of creating a life-like visual representation of Rose was daft…especially when there was the real thing on the TARDIS…right now, in fact.

A sudden wave of desire hit him and the Doctor spun about, wildly looking for the door out of the chamber of Companions. He wanted Rose. Now.

_And suddenly it's hit me  
It's a year ago,  
Since I drank beneath your whiskey,  
And we shared your coke,  
So ain't it just like you,  
To kiss me and then hit the road,  
Leave me listening to The Stones,  
Two thousand light-years from home._

Rose wandered the corridors of the TARDIS trying to find the Doctor. He wasn't in the main console area. He wasn't in the kitchen. He wasn't in the library or the pool or his room. She wondered if he was back in that remote area where the TARDIS stored unused metal gangways and planks and beams and stuff, but she couldn't remember how she arrived there the last time. Rose's feet had just led her there.

She had neither seen nor heard from the Doctor for a few hours. Very un-Doctor-like. Usually, he was clamoring for her attention on a special project like last week's fascination on the reproductive habits of dust bunnies or he was demanding her thoughts on a matter of the utmost unimportance. Still, she was always willing to help out because one never knew when dust bunnies might try to take over a planet or when the unimportant would suddenly become mediocrely significant.

The TARDIS felt very quiet without the Doctor bouncing off the walls and Rose became concerned. What if he was doing maintenance and something had happened? Would the TARDIS inform her or just keep flying around? Rose fought down the panic in her stomach.

Closing her eyes, Rose placed a hand on the wall and listened to the thrumming of the TARDIS. It wasn't as if the vessel was speaking directly to her, but there was something being communicated and Rose just had to listen properly.

She thought of the Doctor and travelling around in their blue box and their quiet times between adventures and slowly Rose sensed the direction she needed to walk in.

_She-wop, she-wop, she-wop, she-wop, she-wop, she-wop,_  
_She-wop, she-wop, she-wop, she-wop, she-wop, she-wop,_  
_She-wop, she-wop, she-wop, she-wop, she-wop, she-wop._

The door opened and the bodies of the Doctor and Rose nearly collided.

"Whatcha doin'?" Rose blurted the question out before she could stop herself. "I mean, not that you need to tell me. I was worried. You've been so quiet for a few hours. Not like you. And I'm babbling."

The noise from the TARDIS was different but not alarming. She was trying to communicate something to her two special travelers. At least the Doctor understood, but whether he would listen was something completely different.

The TARDIS stopped making the nose when the Doctor stepped to one side, admitting Rose into the room.

"What…what is this place?" Rose asked, breathlessly.

"Chamber of Companions." The Doctor replied, he voiced filled with both sadness and fondness. "These people have travelled with me and I think quite highly of them."

Rose walked over to the picture of Sarah Jane and K-9. In her own way, she missed the other woman. There was so much they could have spoken about, having found a common bond. She turned her head.

"Oi! There's a picture of me!" Rose nearly squealed and jumped over to it. "Not my most flattering angle, Doctor."

"I didn't pick it." He confessed, somewhat defensive in his tone.

"What's this room for?"

"A reminder for me…and perhaps for you."

"Me?" Rose was puzzled.

The Doctor led Rose over to the single, solitary, stuffed leather chair in the centre of the room. He sat down in it and then gently pulled Rose down into this lap.

"They're all gone, Rose. Gone." Dark eyes were sad. The usual trace of humour that graced the Doctor's face was not present. "One doesn't need to be a Time Lord to guess that at some point, you will be, too."

"Oh." Rose's eyes looked away. She started to chew her lower lip and the Doctor found himself fascinated with the action. Rose looked up and found herself staring right into the Doctors' deep brown eyes. "Tell me something, Doctor."

"Anything." He replied honestly, forgetting his 'I always lie' credo.

"If you had known you'd be saying goodbye to all these people, would you have never invited them to join you? Because if you know the odds aren't good for us, why did you invite me in the first place? Surely you know that there's always the exception to the rule."

The Doctor flashed a brilliant smile at Rose and she delighted at the idea of making him happy. Contented, she rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder as his arms tightened around her.

"And if there's anyone who could break out of the average, it's you, Rose."

_I want it all.  
I want it all.  
I want it all._

"I've learned something while travelling with you, Doctor." Rose said quietly, her head still angled on the Time Lord's shoulder. He felt her warm breath caress the skin of his neck when she spoke and he fought back a delighted shiver.

"Oh? Do tell us." He replied, keeping the levity in his voice.

"That despite all the power in here to go wherever and whenever, what matters most in time in the right now."

"Right now?" The Doctor whispered.

"Right now." Rose reaffirmed, her head moving slightly. Slowly, her moist lips trailed a damp path up the Doctor's neck to his chin. She heard the Doctor whisper her name and felt his body shift so that he could cradle her securely in his arms. "This is the time that matters. Our time together. Like you said, who knows how long we have and I'm not going to stop living just because we don't know when and where something might happen. I want to make right now a certainty."

The Doctor smiled and reached out a finger to tilt Rose's face up towards his.

"There are times, pun intended, that I think you're really a Time Lord in disguise, Rose Tyler." The Doctor grinned and swooped down to claim Rose's mouth. He marveled at the feeling of her energy thrumming almost at the same resonance as the TARDIS. Rose nipped his lower lip before running her tongue over it, soothing the slight pain and the Doctor did his best to keep his breathing normal.

And he was doing a good job until Rose's hand unfastened his shirt by several buttons and a warm hand slid under the fabric to rest on his chest.

A sensation, akin to a burst from the Time Vortex shot through him and the Doctor was caught in its wake. He pulled Rose against him and, control be damned, he ran a hand down her side, over her hips and along her legs. Of all the days for Rose to wear jeans. He nearly groaned in frustration. Rose shifted in his lap and the two pulled apart.

An unspoken question must have been shouting his eyes, as Rose stared at him and with a knowing grin, she nodded. The leather chair was wide and it probably helped that the Doctor was so thin; Rose squirmed and shimmied her way into a new position and the Doctor's head fell back at the sensations as Rose's legs brushed up against his thighs. He never knew his legs could be so sensitive until Rose Tyler started touching them.

Opening one eye, he peeked down at Rose, only to be greeted with a lovely, unobstructed of her chest, clad in her usual tight t-shirt. He raised his one open eye and saw that Rose was slightly above him, and bracing her hands on his shoulders. Slowly, almost languidly she lowered herself back down on to his lap, her legs straddling him.

"Ummm…Rose?" He asked, somewhat unsure where this was going. Well, actually, he knew where it was going, but he wasn't sure if Rose did.

"Doctor?" She fired back, playfully, her mouth currently occupied with one of his ears. A shiver of delight coursed through him.

"We…uhhh…we…"

"Shouldn't be doing this? Can't do this? Have rules against this?" Rose's moist breath curled warmly around his ear.

"Yes. To all of the above."

"Do you want me to stop?" Teeth lightly nipped his earlobe.

"No…oh no." The Doctor moaned. "But want and need don't always go…."

The Doctor's sigh echoed about in the room.

Rose's hands had unfastened more buttons and Rose's hands once again lay on the skin underneath. The rapid beating of his two hearts belied his vocal attempt to remain stoic and steadfast. A smile beamed down at the Doctor.

"You enjoy being touched, don't you?" Rose asked. "I mean beyond the occasional hug and hand holding. You actually want to be touched."

A near purr answered her.

A knowing look entered Rose's face. Of course the Doctor didn't show this side very often, because if he did, she would forever be touching him and then they might never leave the TARDIS. Not that that was such a bad thing.

She looked around the room at the pictures of the Companions hanging up on the walls. Despite their numbers, the Doctor had been alone much of his life. Alone and untouched. Compassion curled up from deep inside of her.

The Doctor sensed a shift in Rose's mood.

"You okay?"

"More than okay." Rose smiled softly. "I want you, Doctor."

"Blunt and direct. I can appreciate that." The Doctor nodded.

"But I want you in a way that goes beyond just bed. I know we have this bond…this connection. You know it, too. But you still aren't sure about the idea of us…together…more than just Doctor and Companion." Rose's voice sounded suddenly mature to the Doctor.

"Does that mean you're stopping?" The Doctor asked, somewhat saddened by the idea of Rose climbing out of his lap.

"Not just yet." Rose conceded. "I'm having waaaaay too much fun."

The Doctor smiled as Rose settled back onto him and pressed her lips against his.


End file.
